INTRODUCTION. 19 



you think best, and we will build the house for your 

 sweetheart, and you shall be your own boss. Come 

 back as soon as you have your visit out." 



Small wonder then that the boy soon began seek- 

 ing to frame some explanation or excuse to offer the 

 father, some way to tell him that he could not stay 

 to care for the little farm, with the great ranch 

 calling him. And the father could read the boy's 

 mind like an open book, so one morning after family 

 prayers he said : ' ' My boy, I wish to talk business 

 with you. I suppose you did great things in the 

 West. You probably had 2,000 cattle there, if you 

 say you did. I don't know, as I never saw that many 

 cattle together and never expect to; but I wish to 

 show you that this old farm is not played out either. 

 Now see here, here is what we have done this year. ' ' 

 Then he took down from the shelf his old account 

 book and read off the items, all duly set down in 

 black and white, the wheat that he had sold, and the 

 hay, the pigs and the potatoes and the cattle. And 

 together they carefully footed it all up. It amounted 

 altogether to a little less than $800. Eight hun- 

 dred dollars ! It came over the boy the good salary 

 that he had forsaken in the "West and all the bright 

 hopes of that golden laud and his heart went down 

 like lead. "What," he said to himself, "have I 

 given up all my bright prospects, all my plans and 

 aspirations to come back and manage a farm that 

 does not produce more than $800 a year! Why, 

 with such an income as that, with taxes to be paid 

 and repairs to be made and all expenses to bo met, 



