St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-06-16
Two Characters.

A man who has lived as long as the
agricultural editor, and has had his
eyes open, has seen many good lessons
fully demonstrated. Let us take two
actual characters, young men who mar
ried and started in life about forty-fve
years ago. One was the son of q rich
farmer who had been able to raise his
children to industrious habits, and final
]y finish their education by sending
them to college. About the time of the
end of the schooling the father died
and left his son with four-hundred
acre farm close to town unfortunately,
With good buildings and the farm well
stocked. Soon after, he married a
worthy woman whom he became ac-
quainted with at school.
He took charge of the house and farm,
hired a large number of hands and was
apparently prospecting. He had enough
to do to superintend his farm and visit
town. The product of the farm prob
ably paid the hands, though doubtful.
His credit was good and he used it.
He had no bad habits, and was recog-
nized as an acceptable member of an
orthodox church. Debts, as the sequel
showed, were constantly accumulating,
but his neighbors had no intimation Of
it, as his credit was so good he could
carry large debt without their aid.
At the end of twenty years he was sold
out by the Sheriff, and he had to resort
to the occupation Of hired hand to sup
port his dependent family.
During the lifetime of his father,
there was on one corner OF his farm
faithful old tenant. He had some
worthy, hard-working boys, who went
ito the common school in winter and
worked on the farm in summer. John,
lone Of the tenants sons, a year after
he was of age, married 2 wife, his
equal Industrious, economical, yet q
model housekeeper. She was the
daughter of a tenant on neighboring
farm. He rented a farm Of eighty
acres in the neighborhood. Between
the time of coming of age and marry
ing John had saved his earnings and
purchased a span of horses. With the
aid of his wife John cultivated the en-
tire farm and had good crops. No
hired hands to pay. When his crops
were sold he had q considerable sum of
money. He invested it carefully, with
the ardent hope that in few years he
and his true wife would own an eighty
acre farm of their own, the height Of
their ambition. At the end of three
years of hard toll, but happy life, he
had enough to pay two-thirds of the
price Of the desired farm. Al the
end of five years it was all paid
for and good comfortable house
erected on it. They were then rich,
they were happy. But John and his
wife did not relax their industry. and
though more liberal in their family sup
plies, yet at the end of each year there
was large balance in their favor Soon
they added another eighty acres. Now
he had to hire help, but he stayed home
and worked with them. After this he
added yearly at least eighty acres more
to his farm. At the end of twenty wears,
the period at which his neighbor. who
started with his hands full, was sold out.
John owned farm of fifteen hundred
acres, and had considerable railroad and
bank stock, and was kind-hearted
man, aiding literally in subscriptions to
build churches and ready with open
hand to help the poor. And he and his
wife are now living a comfortable and
happy old age, well known to the writer.
Are these two cases the result of luck,
or Of honest industry and wise manage
mentp Any young man starting now
can travel in the track Of either Of these
characters, whichever they choose
Iona State Register.