CHAPTER XV 



BUSINESS TRAINING FOR THE COUNTRY 

 GIRL 



DURING a two-hour ride on a railway train the 

 author had as a seat companion a sixty-year-old 

 farmer and stock raiser, whose specialty was that of 

 raising mules for the market. And what of definite 

 information this good husbandman possessed about 

 the long-eared beast of burden would fill a volume of 

 considerable size. He knew just what time of year 

 the mule should be foaled, when weaned, when broken 

 to the halter and to work ; how to feed and groom a 

 mule in order to get the best physical growth ; how 

 to train the animal so as to develop all the latent good 

 qualities and repress the bad ones. 



After the natural life history of the faithful mule 

 had been carefully reviewed by the rural companion 

 the conversation was turned to the subject of girls. 

 Had he a daughter ? "Yes, twenty-two years old." 

 What did she know about money and the common 

 affairs of business? "Business ! Mighty little any 

 woman knows about business," said he. " We buy our 

 girl what she needs and have put her through the 

 town high school. I expect her to get married some- 



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