The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1908-08-20
How ! Saved My Boys.

road man, died in a neighboring
State. | was left widow with eight
little ones. six boys and two girls.
Being far from the land of my birth
and what kindred | had, decided TO
return 10 my old home, thriving city
of South Carolina. My husband own
ed some town property at this place,
and fortunately had a house unten2nt-
ed at the time. So, after settling my
affairs. | moved my family there.
Only those who have experienced 1t
know what a sad thing it is for the
widowed mother and grieving wife,
who has to gather her little brood
around her and make new nest. A
new nest, a new home, alasi where
there is no father to love, guide Alright
and protect from all harm. ! resolved
with Gods help to raise my little ones
to be credit TO that dear father who
had gone on before
With a heavy heart | tried to be
cheerful and make home pleasant for
my children. My eldest son went to
work in an Office, and the others, with
the exception of my two youngest.
were sent to good school. A year or
| two passed and my second son decid-
ed that he too, would go to work. OF
all things he wanted to farm. Just
! think of it, year-old boy,
reared in town, where we could not
| have a garden. How can you farm,
| I wit
no one to teach you? To please him
| rented a few acres near town, which
he planted in corn and peas. Our
home plot he put in cotton, potatoes
and vegetables. l will not go into de-
tails, but with the aid of good farm
journal he made his first crop-a fair
crop of corn, fine pea hay, a bale of
cotton, fifty bushels of potatoes and
plenty of vegetables. This success in
a small way fired his ambition, so |
boguht a small farm seven miles from
town.
That year proved a bad crop year,
still he made expenses and cleared a
little money. In the meantime found
that my little boys at home were
growing away from me. In spite OF
my efforts to prevent, they were get
ting in bad company and would go on
the streets. When | could induce my
boys to stay home the neighbor boys.
good and bad, dropped in. | soon
realized that unless some decisive
step was taken my boys were in fair
way to be ruined. But what to do
could not decide One day, while at
the farm, kept thinking, What can
| do to save my boyS?"
AS l sat there my idle gaze wander
ed over the quiet fields and green
woods. All at once it flashed into my
mind that here was the solution to my
problem. Then and there | decided
to sell my home in town and bulld
me a nice home on the farm My
friends protested, You will be ruin
ed" You can't farm you won't like
the country" Every one tried to dis
courage me, but | kept to my deter
mination.
Today | have a nice home Of nine
|
columns 1t is furnished and as com
Portable as any city home. My child
rem have new piano, graphophone etc
I am not making barrels of money
but am doing fairly well with the farm
| am running a threehorse farm this
year and am Independent OF labor al
| have four boys large enough to work
I have a fine vegetable garden ant
an acre in sweet potatoes. nave
seven fine hogs and a pair OF register
cd Rerkshires to raise from, and a!
fine a mule colt as there is In th'
country. | make plenty Of milk ant
butter and have an occasional beer u
sell Have lots of nice chickens, Hooks
of geese and ducks, turkeys, etc.
like the country. Country life l thlnf
the finest in the world. But better
than all. | find that my little boy
are mine again. There is no mischle
for them to get into. When there is NJ
farm work to do, they go fishing or t
that haven of delight for small boys
the wash hole" Some days they hun
berries and plums. l am never "oi
ried about them, nor wonder what the.
are doing. When night comes ever.
little sleepy head is ready for bed
It is such a comfort to have them al
to myself as it were. We have nm
school near us and this fall | want t.
send my eldest daughter to college
The little boys have their friends from
town occasionally. They enjoy this.
They work cheerfully and seem t
take as much interest in every thin
as l do myself.
So may say that home in the cour
try has proved a success in every sens
of the word. | am thankful for tn
sweet privilege of making countr
home.
The United States has $4,000 "neN
farmers" who have graduated froI
, agricultural colleges. The first Amer