so long as it remained in the family it would be an evidence of God’s covenant-keeping power. Perhaps the most remarkable fact of all is Fred, himself, whose career is not only a wonder to those who know his life’s story more intimately, but must often be a wonder to himeslf, destined as he was in life to play not one but many roles, and to play them all remarkably well. He was not to stay on the farm, yet in the end was to be the one who was to save the farm; he was not to be a preacher, but in his busy life, he did more religious work than half a dozen ordinary preachers. Seemingly destined not to be a thorough going business man in the cold calculating way we think of a business career, yet even in the business world which at times was almost a side-line in his rich life of service, he not only won the admiration of business men for his farsighted vision and practical accomplishments, but by his business successes was able through the years to be a generous benefactor to his own family and to his Church. In short Fred MacMillan became widely known as one of the outstanding workers in the Kingdom of God in his own day and generation, and accomplished all of this while bearing burdens which no ordinary man could or would think of bearing. He is still going strong at 80—still attempting things which might well stagger younger men, and what is best of all, still retaining the resiliency of an undaunted faith. He still believes that goodness is stronger than evil and love stronger than hate, and like his religious forebears he retains a childlike faith and trust that there is no such thing as defeat for those that love God. The main part of this narrative must stop here. What is written from this point on largely will be of those who have benefitted rather than what they have contributed to this history, yet, in the providence of God, those who have been so largely the recipients of these blessings have made their distinct contribution to the family record and have made this story of the old homestead the kind of a story it is. For this reason, we are encouraged to continue the narrative. The oldest child of James and Martha Murdock MacMillan was a daughter, Frances. Frances as we remember her, possessed much of her mother’s good looks and her father’s practical common sense. What her early years on the farm were the present narrator was too young to be able to record. We know that her life and 25
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