Elsieferne Stout

Dundy County Babe Elsieferne Stout

Did you, a first grader tramp a mile to school in deep snow while Jack Frost nipped your nose, fingers, and toes; were so paralyzed with fear the first day of school that you could not talk? Or saved baby jack rabbits from a morbid death after their nest had been destroyed? Were you rescued by a little chick from a possible rattle snake bite? Did you hear your Mama yell "you have sinned against God" when you made a mistake? The author recalls these many childhood experiences including continual verbal abuse which crushed her self-confidence. She lived on a pioneer farm in southwestern Nebraska.