The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-05-23
THE WAY TO SUCCESS.
lSan Francisco Bullotin.1 !

young man has fought his way steadi
~ upward, with bright, tireless energy
is tonic full of iron, and subtle will
encouragement. No trade or calling
however hard and narrow, has failed
to furnish examples of men who won
success. 1t is a thought which should
encourage every toiler. The stone
cutter has his Hugh Miller, tho weave,
his David Livingstone, the blacksmith
his Elihu Burr;tt.
1t Is not, however, of men of great
attainments and widely trumpeted
tame that we would speak, but rather
OF an instance of humble, honest sue.
cess in founding home in one of the
central counties of this State. The
story Is full of hope and encourage.
ment to the daily 1aborer; perhaps it
has warning for some whose wasted
opportunities stand beside them as ac-
cusfng angels.
In the year 1871 u young Norwegian
landed In San Francisco, knowing only
a few words of English, having little
money, and no acquaintance. He re.
manned only one night in the city, and
was soon in search of work among the
farmers. Several weeks passed and he
was still unsuccessful. He went to the
house OF wealthy farmer, a man of
shrewd but kindly character, and said
to him in effect:
~ need work, and at any price to
make beginning on. can't lie idle,
am tired of tramping. Have you got
room for one more hand ?''
"No," said the farmer, "I am tired of
tramps, and have help enough.''
81 an no tramp" said the man.
quietly, sand will work if you will
let me, without wages, and for only
NY board and lodging, until such time
as there is vacancy, or can get work
elsewhere.'
rms was the gist of what was said,
translated on the part OF the Norwegian.
from his imperfect English, and the
farmer told him to go to work, decid-
ing IN his own mind to see what sort
OF metal was in the tall, Eair-haired
Norwegian.
The days went by in toll and glad
ness, and the farmer found that his
"free hand" as he called him, was the
pest man on the ranch. He was the
earliest up, the busiest at all times,
and In no sense an eye-server. Always
merry, his folk-songs of home, and his
stories of that weird northern land
grew more interesting as his knowl-
edge OF our language advanced. More
over, he was no eye servant. but gave
the working hours of the day to his
employer with rare fidelity.
Two months went by in this sort of
way. The farmer began feeling ashamed
OF himself for keeping without wages
the man who was evidently tho best
workman in the neighborhood, and
the one most careful of his employers
interests. ttIt pays to have such a
man," he said to himself. "It is alb
surd to think of letting him go at any
time"
So the farmer paid him fair wages.
dating from the day he stopped on the |
ranch, which was honorable back paw |
and engaged him for one year, tho |
bargain to terminate then, unless the
same satisfaction Was given.
Our Norwegian remained. no less |
han seven years on this one farm,
making himself more and more neccs-
;ary to the operations and require
ncnts of agriculture. They ceased
Ealing him ''Gus;'' he became "Mr.
Petersen" in the neighborhood. Other
aborers had come and gone. He was
he sole representative of the two who
we're on the ranch when he came
here. The most important gain, per-
laps, was that he had a complete and
PRACTICAL knowledge of farms and farm
work, of our soil, climate, limitations
ind possibilities. Lastly, he had with
tern selfdenial saved every cent he
'ould, and it was invested in different
ways.
So Mr.. Petersen after seven years of
work, took u summer trip,
ather unaccountably prolonged, to the
orWegian settlements Of the Western
states, and returned with warm
leartcd, maidenly wife, for whom
very one had a pleasant word. Then
'e went to the farmer, and wanted to
'uy piece of land.
"1 would rather live near here, and
till work for you at odd times. I
My want twenty acres," he said.
Twenty acres seemed so small a tract ,
0 the farmer accustomed to working
us two thousand acres, that he tried to
ersuade him to take more, but Peter |
en- still clung to the conviction that
ruit, flowers, vegetables, windmill ;
. lift water, few cows, chickens and s
lgs, with the close care which he so
'ell understood, would make twenty
cres bright and dself-supporting home.
'inally, upon the farmers earnest,
:iendly desire, he took forty acres at
80 per acre, paying $1,000 down, and
citing the rest wait at ten per cent
lterest.
With what earnestness and patience
e has now begun to toll, having now ,
is own home, or how faithfully his I
fn <3e l.,