The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-06-26
A YOUNG FARMERS ROMANCE.
How He Came to Now York nnd Surprised
His Relatives There.

S"t, q: 81. :; .":.
How He Game to Now York nnd Surprise,
| - His Relatives There. ~. '..r,
/ A New York. correspondent voucher
for the truth Of the following interesting
episode in q farmer boys life "a farmer
boy from Michigan has at once createi
q real life romance for. :" Our Boarding
House," and made'a hero of himself II
q small way. His experience reads very
like fiction, and is all the more interest
ing because it is not fiction. The boy
who: lis. nineteen years old, green as s
Michigander can be, and stout as any
horse on his farm, took notion to be-
come New, York merchant, He owned
a handsome farm. but he caught the
metropolitan and mercantile diseases.
rented his farm, and resolved to make 6
total change" of business. He had an
uncle in business here, and the wife o1
that uncle chanced. to be our landlady,
who manages one of those colossal
boarding houses in which this city oi
boarders abounds. To this uncle the
young farmer wrote, stating bis plans,
and asking as to the prospects OF q place
in. the uncle's establishment. The an
swer waG to wait till the coming fall,
when trade would set in more briskly
meanwhile leaving opportunity to gather
the summer crops and get 80 much more
ahead. T' -. .'',' ~. ~ ,L'.. T.
Nothing further was heard from the
nephew, and it was thought he had &C.
cepted the advice. On the contrary, he
packed his trunk and came on, without
Informing his relatives Of his Intentions.
He arrived in town two months ago,
with the idea Of looking about for him.
self, to see what he could do in an mde-
pendent way. The first thing he did
was to buy morning paper. In that
morning paper, seemingly as some agent
of destiny had ordained, his aunt had
an advertisement calling for a man of all
work, whose chief occupation was to
wash, dishes. No sooner did the Michi.
gan boys eye strike that head OF
WANTED !" than be decided to answer
at once and apply for the position.
1t is necessary to j say: here, that
neither uncle nor aunt hal. seen their
nephew since his baby hood, 30 that the
way to deceive them was open and easy.
. The nephew applied for the servant's g
place. He admitted that he knew moth
ing about housework, but said he was
quick to learn. There Was something
about his frank, honest, country man
!rer that impeled the landlady to try
him, and he was Immediately installed
as chief dish-washer.r He did his work
well, was never tired when the seven or
eight hundred dishes came clashing
around him, and took q strange interest
in tightening his mistress burdens.
He had desired to find out in this way
what sort Of people his relatives were
# he did not Like them he would go
back to Michigan. If he did, time would
make him all right. Well, he liked
them largely, and himself became q
favorite. His cheery ways and check
cred, flannel shirt we're features that
grew to be noted by every boarder who
took an occasional peep into the kitchen.
Two months of service expired the
other day. When he was paid his wages
the lad astonished his mistress by say
ing he wanted to tell her story about
himself. AS she rather resented this
familiarity, he inquired quietly as to
who she thought he was; and in min
ute the secret 80 well kept was out.
Then there was scene. subsequently
the landlady took the youth to her hus =
bands tailor, fitted him out with q
stylish suit Of clothes, and so trans
formed him that when he took a seat at
the dinner-table nobody recognized
him. To. day the Michigander is in
his uncle's store. getting start in the
desired mercantile line. This fall he
will be sent to 8 business college, and,
if his past does not belle him, he will
some day rank among the large mer-
chants Of New York. 1.r - }