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 éould 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 land 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 be met, 
