---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Marie Fowler
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 24
number: 5
published: 1921-03
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Marie Fowler, "A Remarkable Experience," *Improvement Era* 24, no. 5 (March 1921): 442–442.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2405unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera2405unse
start_page: 442
end_page: 442
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1921-03)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2405unse
  publication_year: 1921
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1921, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# A Remarkable Experience

<!-- page:442 -->

—

                 A Remarkable Experience
                             (A True Story)

                     By Marie Fowler (Age 12)
                             (Silver Badge)

     [This contribution, republished from the January, 1921, St. Nicholas,
in the  Improvement Era, by special permission of the Century Company,
was written by the grand-daughter of Mr. Alfred Lambourne, the lady referred to being his deceased wife. Editors.]

    "Oh Grandma! where did you get that silver thimble, and
why has it a hole in it?" asked curious little Virginia.
     "It's a strange story, dear," answered Grandma.
     "Tell it, please."
     "Well," said Grandma, "a long time ago, in 1860, I came
to the West from Iowa with my parents and a company of
friends. I was sixteen then and had very long, yellow hair, which
I wore in two braids.     There were no trains then, and we traveled with ox-teams. It was a long journey and took many weeks.
We passed great herds of buffalo and many deer and elk. Sometimes we would see roving bands of Indians in the distance.
One day we met a band of them, with their brilliant feathers
and painted faces. When the chief saw my long yellow hair, he
immediately wanted to buy me. He offered twenty-five ponies to
my father. But of course he was refused. He came back the
next day and offered thirty ponies, but again he was refused.
For almost a week the Indians followed us, and the chief would
come every day offering more and more ponies, until he had
offered fifty.    Finally, the people of our company became
frightened. They feared the Indians would attack them and
perhaps kill some of them and carry me off. So, wisely, my
mother cut off my hair and gave it to the chief. In return, he
gave me this little thimble from a string of them he wore around
his neck."
     Virginia heaved a great sigh and exclaimed, "That surely
was a remarkable experience!"