The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-10-25
FULL or TAANKFuLNEss. j N.
Tho nsneher. Tons why His Heart I,
sunased With Gratftade.

Tho Ranchef, TcIls why His Heart II
safased With Gr.titade-
"Thanlxfull Oh, yes. I've got
heap to bo thankful for. I'm Just
bling over With gratitude, said San
Joaquin ranelicr who had Just stepped
out of lawyers offico on Montgom-
cry street Look here, young man,
did you over try 10 run a ranch with
ono pair of mules ana mortgasof
No, I Supposed not. When took up
my quarter section had to mortgage
it to start. Tho first year was a bad
one and tho whcat crop failed. Thon
l had TO 60 into debt for seed and
grub, and tne interest piled up on the
mortgage. I've been wrestling with
that mortgage ever since, but it downs
mo every time.
Last spring when tho wheat come
up it looked first rate, and my wife
and l watched it growing rs you'd
watch q youngstcr, if you had one.
We worked hard, got along without
help most Of the time, and went to bed
plumb tuckcrcd out every night. We
hoped to get little ahead of tho mort
gage this year, but it would have 10
Be- big crop and n big price to pull US
out of the hole.
"Wcll, the crop was just fair. Bags
cost n good deal moro than anybody
had a right TO charge, taxes were
high, and i have got only n middling
prico for my wheat While wo were
waiting for harvest time wo used to
figure up once in while to see how
wo'd como out. My wifo would be
tired most to death with her work, for
you must remember that woman's
work on n ranch whcro she does all
the cooking washing and mending,
and takes care Of two or three chill
dren, isn't any picnic, and my back
would be aching liko l was breaking
in two, but we'd just sit down and
figure. 1t was close calculating, but
wo allowed that good price for the
crop would just about make both ends
meet for the year.
"When a letter came up from the
commission man telling in ten words
that all our years Toll was going TO
bring us only debt and tough wrest-
ling for grub over again, wo just
looked at our .roughened, stiff -jointed
hands and wondered whether 1t was
worth while raising stuff for other
folks to eat, and going hungry our,
selves.
| 1t just meant tnat our DaCKS mao
achcd that somebody else might take
things easy. 1t meant that the kids
would havo to get along with tho same
old duds for another year. Do you
know, it seemed TO mo for n moment
that if I took shotgun and went out
on tho stage road wouldn't be doing
any moro than tho chaps who 1.-Two Oh
mortgages DO, and, mebbc, it would
bo Just little squarcr and moro man
fashion way of getting what doesn't
belong to one. Still, as l wasnt
brought up to that business, didnr
think of it long.
"You work like Chinaman all tho
year, work till you ache all over, raise
wheat enough to feed small village
for q year, and then find that you've
WORRIED xsspFSFffdl6& Sfd6 5 5]ffeefiTlia Of any
use to anybody, hand over to him the
money that your wife and children
need, almost get OH your knees to beg
him for tho favor of being robbed by
his mortgage for another year, and
tell mo if you feel your heart Just
bursting out of your shirt with pro-
miscuous, all round gratitude. San
| Francisco Examiner.