THE OLD TIME FARM-HAND 341 
fuller one, and it served its use. I know what 
tired legs and back mean, and I know that one 
need not have them always if he will use the 
ordinary sense which God gives. Genius, or 
special cleverness, is not necessary to get a man 
out of the rut of hard manual labor. Just plain, 
everyday sense will do. But before I had se- 
cured the three men for whom I was in search, 
I began to feel that this common sense of which 
we speak so glibly is a rare commodity under 
‘the working-man’s hat. I advertised, sent to 
agencies and intelligence offices, interviewed and 
inspected, consulted friends and enemies, and so 
generally harrowed my life that I was fit to give 
up the whole business and retire into a cave. 
By actual count, I saw more than one hundred 
men, of all ages, sizes, and colors. Eight of these 
were tried, of whom five were found wanting. 
Early in February I had settled upon three sober 
men to add to our colony. As none of these 
lasted the year out, I may be forgiven for not 
introducing them to the reader. They served 
their purpose, and mine too, and then drifted on. 
