St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-04-10

a Good SchO0l.MaFn.
This thing which some folks call fate,
and some call predestination, is power
full good school-marm, accordin to my
doxology. You understand have
been one of her scholars for 10 these
many years, and she has learnt me
some lessons which I never can live
long enough to odisremember. / couldn't
forget them il wanted to and tried my
level blamdest. She has likewise also
give me some terrible hard knocks and
made me wear the Ounce cap many and
1nany's the time. But as yet / never
have spelt up head. and 1 aint quit
school neither.
In my bummih and bruisin around
promiscus through this vain and fieetin
world below l have already learnt that
q man can mighty soon run the savin-
up-for-a-rainy-day business into the
ground if he wants to. lie can starve
and stint and rake and scrape and
worry and wear his life out before the
rainy day comes or the first frost of old
age comes.
Some men want to get rich too all
fired suddent ike-straddle fortune
Mt one jump, as it were, and then live
high and riotous in their old remainin
days. But if you will only watch man
like that you will notice that he most in
generally always gets old quick and
lives hard and dies before his proper
time. He may make stacks and cords
of money and put it out where the
dimes will turn to dollars every oncst
and occasionally, but yet at the same
time feel poor and live poor and pass
out ahead of time. Accorlin to Andy
Lucas and the Scriptures-money makes
the mare 60. But it can't make good,
soiid grub go and stay when a mans
general machine runs down and the bot
tom drops out of his bread basket.
So when you come to count up all the
costs l would a whole lot ruther let
everything go as fast as it comes and
take my chances about the settin down
place. than to wear myself out and have
to take out and quit before l ever find
time to stop and rest. Mortal man.
born of female woman, '.breaks" and
spurts" most too much anyhow. He
runs too high up or either too low down.
If he would but only strike level, and
make good average, and let well
enough alone, he could hold his speed
better and stand the pace longer.
jim WeathcrfOrA the Qaltter.
Little Jim Weatherford - a half
brother to old man nBunk-wasw what you
mought call quitter. He most in
generally went in for the whole hog
Or meme, and got none at last. He scared
a good start and got away with fine
burst OF speed. but he broke all to pieces
before he got on the home stretch and
then went home and quit.
The mainest trouble with little Jim
was that he was too Internal NERVOUS
like and smart. He must of been born
In hurry. and know for my own in
dividually self that he lived and died
at about the same rate. He was mover
Hand hustler from breakfast all the
Way. He didn't have Il blessed thing to
start ON but so acres Of land and one
mule, but his head was set on maxim
money, and he made it. He took the
lead row himself. and everything and
everybody on the place had to follow
nnd keep up. He lived at home all alone
by himself-lived as clost as the bark
: on dogwood tree-and wnensomever
he got dollar he helt on to it till the
eagle screamed and another one
turned up to keep it company.
Little Jim had been borned and brung
mp in the midst Of poor folks and hard
times, and when he come to be q man
he give il out that he was goin TO put
plenty of money in his flanks and then
take out and quit and have high-heel
to some extent, and at 30 years old he
had three plantations and twenty-osld
head of mules and was payin taxes ON
about $1,000 worth of stun. And vet
] never saw him in my life when he
want hard run and headed straight for
the poor house, to hear him tell it. He
made money on top of money. and got
rich, but he never could see It in that
way. With him the talin out time and
the settin down place never did come.
He raked and he scraped. and he
stinted and saved up for . rainy day.
but long before it came he was out
and eonGre common way Of Ill hesh.
He>wn litnle turned 30 when he
tt1ie kand tie 4ers give IL out that
s - 1rent M = the matter with
! y Se9er,a eiyin
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