Little Drops of Water:An Almost True Tale

Milton Butts always had a dream. Strong sons would help him build his farm and one day his lush fields would extend as far as he could see. The Butts name and the farm would live on for generations to come.

Caroline Simonds became part of the dream when Milton was still a boy. He was too shy to tell her, but he never doubted she would share his dream. The time came when he found out that she did, and he was overjoyed.

Life on his Vermont farm had it's ups and downs. A healthy little daughter was born the first year but after that, illness and bad weather plagued him. The final blow came when bears killed all of their sheep.

In search of his dream, Milton relocated his family three times. Finally, in Illinois, he found the place of their dreams.

The day came when Milton stopped his horse at the edge of his homestead and his land stretched as far as he could see. But there was still no son and Caroline's time was running out.

Milton's most important dream, however, was still to be fulfilled in a strange but wonderful way.

Ellen Harlock was a Navy wife during World War II; homesteaded in Alaska for seventeen years; executive secretary for a large California mortuary; wrote published historical articles about Ventura, California, her birthplace; was a Realtor on Maui. She retired to Arizona to enjoy the desert life with her husband, Bob.