The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-12-24
81 FRANK II. SWEET.


John Wilson gave up his ambition
at eighteen, leaving college and TAX
Ink UP the reins which his father had
dropped. 1t was not TO be temporary,
he understood. but a complete renun-
citation OF all his plans-of his life as
he had hoped TO make it. There were
six children and Il rundown farm and
q mother whose waning strength
should be nourished rather than
drawn upon. 1t was the only way:
better to sacrifice his ambition than
that they should be forced upon char
ity. In his own plans it would be
years before he could educate himself
and make living.
So the books were laid aside, and he
forced his energy 70 Il study of the
farm and its possibilities. His father
had been content with the old meth
DDS and had fallen behind. He must
push on into the new. not only for the
necessary livelihood. hut for the grow
ing needs Of his brot hers and sisters
ana their education. A city was but
few miles away. and gradually he
fortified the barren fields to renewed
productiveness TO such vegetables as
the markets called for.
He was shy by nature, a scholar
whose world was IN retirement with
his books. but now he forced himself
upon a peddler's cart and sold vegeta-
bles and fruit from house to house.
bargaining for the needs ut home. He
planned for their shrewd expenditure.
and he lost sleep in the study Of con-
verting soil and sunshine and labor
into hard. necessary dollars.
But with it all the road was difficult
and sometimes almost beyond his pow
er Of endurance. Ten years and he
still wore the coat he had worn back
: from college. now frayed and patched:
the mortgage on the farm remained
the same. and he s,il went from house
to house selling vegetables, not yet
able to hire boy 10 do the marketing.
But. >on the other hand, the brothers
and sisters were all he could have
=
his way through ~ agricultural cot
lege. with an amEiyor for higher ed
ucation beyond; IT, next wds in a
technical srhoni ~ :'uiladelphia study.
ing to be Il ciy.i lancer. one xii
was at the STATE nn"asHI. another learn
ing to be u hurst, Ni,i'' the two young
est were Stiii t'r' young to have
thought much a.,rJ, Icir future. Dnl
ing VACATIONS thrt came home auG
helped him, ana no:9 time to time IA!
Of them haG chifr;tsd to be aIlowej
to do their Haarp - lie support. But
here he was fem. hey should have
what he h&d missed DE declared, and
it was too laie fUr min to go back anG
take up lie as h" hcd left it.
SO the years wra on. and he toiled
early and late alri planned and bar.
gained and impru' ~. but for all that
he was not farmer and never cOui0
be. for it was l,s will in the work.
not his heart. !le never went to
house to ask trade int what he shrank
back as from ilw. and long after
his bands hhd grr&n hard and knott
his thoughts wGHN wander surrepti.
tiously 10 tile hOU,.1 he had laid aside.
Perhaps IL war mis- recognized dis
taste fer IT" vorN mat made him dc
il so Thoroughly ard conscientiouSly.
There was hot u 3rm in the country
round thai WIS bt.;tr managed or that
produced mOle fvr Us size. John Whit
son was Il crutG. he Deighbors said.
which meant ii,at ne was always OH
the lookoat fer = iI;, sensitive places
in fenre cr h,'' ~ in himself, tina,
could be strfrc jrued by timely re-
rewal or patciiiai; or toDing up. IL,
there was any c;'y he shrank from,
that waS the Guiy 20 was apt TO sect
first and ID lnus ;'NrouCh!y.
Ey the ilN,' ~. younger children
were ready Tar inA Hnal studies which
were 50 Il, ,hs:u tvf their chosen cali.
incH the cu!.prs. fuate and the civil
engineer were 81 work and sendin%
their mites q, ir' home fund. And
with tie ,si.t;., ur these mites came
Jonas first OAK a., ity to turn his AT
tentiGn 80 ihr ,nt age,
o. atr ;t.lrl aad not rermitteG
hinSp!f To- rr";i ne future rs Il per
sonal problem. :. WIS too far nwa..
kut Win The e. ming az the mort
gage and the nr.,, establishment III
the liiSl of tue aidrrn his own ca
ture was again Crnwing marveIouslS
Denr What s'ir'ld he do with IL:
How unite II N.ib the books which
had practically hrcn laid aside for
twenty years: i.e mad 10 taste for
farming. bat ie understood 1t anu
could wrest frein even his few acres q
comfortable living Could he do a.
much with his books and dreams OF
which he had unde no testl
But even In bis thoughts he did no:
hesitate. The blocks and dreams werr
his. and. burden or banner II was righ.
that he should take them into his fu-
ture when the future should be clear.
He would lift the mortgage first and
would train boy 10 competent man
agement of the place and would put
aside enough for household needs.
Then he would be free to go. There
would be no further necessity for his
presence here. His mother was old.
Of course. and needing care. but Jane.