138 TOMS EXPERIENCE 
“Well, you are a genius!” he exclaimed, “ and if [ 
thought I could have as beautiful a home in four 
years as you have, I'd be out here with my family to 
stay as soon "as we could get here.” . 
“Tam not a genius at all,” I replied. ‘ Back in 
Illinois I was only a tenant. We—my wife and I— 
got tired of that, and, against the urgent advice and 
persuasion of our friends, decided to come out here 
- and see if we couldn’t get a home of our own, and 
cultivate our own land instead of somebody else’s. 
You see the result. But it has not been all smooth 
sailing by any means. I guess you can’t find that 
anywhere. But we made up our minds to take the 
rough with the smooth, do our level best, and be sat- 
isfied with the result, whatever it might be; and I 
may add that we are satisfied.” ; 
“And you may well be. With three hundred and 
twenty acres of such land as this, and such a home as 
yours it seems to me you are just about as near Para- 
dise as people are allowed to get in this world.” 
‘“T repeat that there is nothing remarkable in what 
I have done. Indeed, I lost a full year by that acci- 
dent I told you of. If it had not been for that I 
would have been a good deal better off than I am 
now. You, orany other man who will exercise a 
fair degree of common sense—it don’t require any 
genius at all—can do as well as I have done, and bet- 
ter. There is no patent of nobility here—no royal 
road to good crops and consequent prosperity. This 
soil will give up its riches as quickly to you as tome, 
