The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-01-18

Saltwater, Minn., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 1888.

no respecter of persons or things. His
chief delight was to make things HUM. He
was never so happy as when the threshing
machine was running, and he was the only
man who could be heard, and he could usually
be heard yelling at horse, or farm hand,
or some one of the machine crew who did
not move to suit him. At all events he
would find something or some one to hallOO
at, at all times. If heavily loaded team
was straining every muscle on an up grade
A would be hurrahing and swinging his
whip or his hat to urge the team to greater
effort. His horses, as we'll as those who
worked with and for him, seemed to under
stand him pretty will, but he succeeded
with the horses better than with the men.
Everything was done with a ''whOOp and
hurrah," and he kept things moving. He
was success as far as accumulating money
went, but life was made too interesting
where he was. He could not keep ten
ant. farm hand. nor servant girl. He
was always at war with his neighbOrs. al
ways in one or more lawsuits and seldom
failed to come out second best. His wife
understood him better than anyone else and
could usually have some influence over him,
but came far from controlling him. They
had three children. one girl and two boys.
We will have more to say of these further
on.
3 was small man with no striking phys
ical qualities, but would convey the impress
sion to a stranger OF a very ordinary farmer.
His face was pleasant but far from atrac-
tive, and had the appearance Of sound COM
mon sense. And this he had in abundance,
together with practical education. He
could tell how much 1711a pounds of butter
came to at 1871 cents a pound without
covering sheet of fOOlscap with figures,
something very few persons can dO.) He
was practical in all things, and usually re-
ceived the highest market price for his pro-
ducts. He had a just pride in his farm,
moderate, indulgent. He thought before he
spoke, but when he spoke what he said was
| full of meaning and no unnecessary words
were used. He seldom had trouble with
any one and was universally respected.
His tenants were prosperous and one in par
ticular we remember who purchased farm
and is now we'll to do farmer. He was
charitable, and so far as can be judged was
honorable and fair in all his dealings with
men. His wife was much like him in dis
| position, and their home was a model home.
They had two sons who, together with the
children OF A, were schoOlmates of the
| writer, and we have been enabled to keep
run of them, and know their several posi-
| tiOnS in life at this time. 1t will not be
difficult for the reader to imagine the differ
ence in principle between these two fami-
| lies, even from the foregoing condensed dis
! criptiOn. Neither will it be difficult to I'M
agine some of the effects of the early
training. so widely different, upon the chill
dren. AS their fathers were rivals, they,
too, were rivals, and being classed together
| in school the rivalry was plainly apparent
to pupils as we'll as teacher. The oldest
boy of each family were nearly of an age
| and were evenly mate he'd in natural mental
powers. This rivalry extended all through
their studies. each urged Oh by his parents
| at home, and each assisted by his parents
The writer was also in this race. together
with one of the opposite sex. We four were
classmates, and while there were some
OF our classes, we four ''held together in
every study as long as we attended that
school. which was until the writer was fit.
teen years OF age; but as the girl and my
self are not in the game, suffice it to say
she is now teacher in an eastern college
while the writer is buried
There was more or less rivalry between
the younger sons of A and B, but the
daughter of A was SO me years younger, and
left home when she was thirteen to live
with an uncle in an eastern city. She was
at last accounts a milliner, earning her own
way in the world. &C.
(To be Cpntinued.)
A woman and he en are soon lost through