20 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
I can not so much as keep old Uncle Sam. I must 
myself get out with the lantern before breakfast and 
feed and curry the horses and begin over again to | 
do all that drudgery that I had only lately escaped.’’ 
It was not a very worthy thought, but it added to his 
perplexity. 
The old father waited anxiously for the boy’s de- 
cision. Very gently he said: ‘‘My voy, when you 
were with me we made more money than this. The 
farm then was in better condition ‘and times were 
not so hard. I am too old now to develop it as it 
should be developed and I am tired. My happiest 
memories are of the time when I was strong enough 
to be called a man, and you were my boy, helping 
me. Now I am tired of being the man; I wish you 
to be the man. Won’t you be the man, let me be the 
boy and help you?’’ There was silence for a little 
time while many thoughts passed rapidly through 
the boy’s mind, then he came to decision. ‘‘Yes, 
father, I’ll stay. I’ll take hold ef the old farm and 
do what I can with it. I think we can make it profit- 
able after a time, and you may help me.’’ 
‘*Good,’’ the old man exclaimed. ‘‘Now you go 
ahead and do whatever you wish to do. I’ll give you 
chance to do it, for I’ll feed the cattle and the pigs. 
I can feed them better than any man you can hire, 
and you know it.’? ‘‘Of course you can,’’ replied 
the boy. Then: ‘‘Father, let’s go and take a walk.’’ 
‘‘All right; where shall we go?’’ ‘‘Oh, anywhere; 
just out to look at the farm again.’’ Together they 
sallied out, the father happy as a child, the son glad 
