The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-11-29
GROWING UP SLOWLY
NEAR AT HOME"

They used TO call him perkins
Boy" down where he was born. He
lived on a farm out a little way and
in winters he went to school in town.
He did his share of fighting and
wearing of old clothes cut down, and
eventually graduated, with a head full
OF knowledge and face full OF freck
les. He wasn't the valedictorian of
his class, but stood well up and had a
lot of hard sense.
Perkinss Boy is a likely lad"
they said.
Then he went to work because his
father had to struggle along to give
the other nine children a chance, and
there wasn't any surplus for col
lege training He needed part OF
the money that "Perkins's Boy" could
earn, and "Perkins's Boy" was willing
to earn it.
He got a place in a village store
and read books nights, and in the
course of a little time ne had
chance to sweep out a lawyers office,
learn to draw mortgages, register as
a law student, and he did that
"'Perkinss Boy is ambitious" they
said.
He interested himself in everyday
affairs, and was able To talk sanely
and sensihy on current topics with
out getting mad, and one time they
sent for him to make Decoration
Day address down at a little country
picnic, and he acquitted himself so
we'll that they said 'Perkins's Boy
was summat of speaker"
One day Ne went into court on a
rather important case and won it, and
he so impressed the jury that they
declared "Perkins's Boy" would make
his mark.
One time they needed a compromise
candidate for State attorney and
somebody suggested "Perkins's Boy"
and to the horror of those who feared
intrusting a boy with such important
duties he was nominated and elected
And they vowed that 'Perkins's Boy
was certainly coming along"
He met with his usual reverses, but
one day he prosecuted an important
criminal case where the sympathies
Of the community were aroused in his
favor because Of the nature of the Of
Tense charged, and he handled the
case so skilfully and tactfully, and
addressed the jury with so much
reason and so little bombast, that
they found the accused man guilty in
Ave minutes.
Perkinss Boy certainly did him.
self proud" they said
He got along IN years before he
got out of the States attorneyship
and entered a little larger field of
politics in the State, and one hot con.
vention day he mads an address that
carried a closely fought battle, and
somebody asked:
Who's that speaker"
And a gray-bearded old delegate
who had known him when he was
going to school, said
Why, that's 'Perkins's Boy"
He had a few gray hairs at this
time, but lots of sanity, patience and
good nature, and when there was a
matter of rather more than usual i'm
portance, the men Of the town used
TO go down to his law office and talk
1t over with Perkins, Boy" His ad-
vice was generally sane and his in
stincts fair and just.
And one day old Simon Kramer
picked up a paper out on his farm and
emitted a whoop of surprise which
brought his wife in from the kitchen
with her hands full of dough.
What In the world is the matter.
Simon" she said
That Perkins's Boy has been
nominated for congress-" declared
Kramer. holding up the paper.
And "Perkins's Boy" was then near
ly so.
Which shows how slowly boys grow