The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-12-18
Interesting to Boys and Girls.

Letter NO. j.
Sandy Branch, Ky, August 1, 1913.
Ny dear son Jackson
II is rather hard work for your
father TO write a letter, but as
sprained my ankle yesterday, don't
seem 10 have much TO do out doors,
and will improve the time by
answering yours which has been
waiting for some days.
Our folks are all well and we hope
you are enjoying the same blessings.
Texas doesn't seem so far of since
you went there. And IL seems II is
a good deal like Kentucky in some
things. From what you write II APP
pears that even in Texas folks don't
pay a man unless he works, and
that corn don't grow without being
planted and tended. You say your
corn is going TO be small because
the weeds got a start while you
were of in town. Just make note
OF that Jake, and the next time you
go TO town don't stay so long And
you say the man that used to hire
you to work for him by odd spells
when your own work was not press
ing tells you he has all the help he
wants without you now. That is
rather disappointing. As l make
out you did not work over hard
when you had a chance with him,
and now he has found somebody
who will do more work for less pay.
II is his natural right TO get his work
done as we'll and cheap as he can,
and so you are left out again.
You ask right out for fifty or a
hundred dollars, and when your let
ter first came l allowed l would
send you a little more money as
soon as there came tide and |
could get some cash on logs, or as
soon as the cattle buyers would pay
right for some OF our young stock;
but for two reasons, Jackson, l have
decided to tell you not to depend on
the old man any longer, but just live
on what you can get out OF the
ground and out Of your neighbors
in the great State Of Texas.
In the first place, l heard the
preacher read something. about "all
things working together for good"
and it may work for your good to
60 on short rations until you learn
to be a little more steady. You
know you spent a heap Of my money
before you lit out for Texas and that
you took a good bit with you. ]
never could persuade you to stick
to work very long at time, or to
keep any account Of where your
money went to. And you always
said me and your ma were harder
to get along with than anybody.
Now you are far from US, and the
folks in Texas are not down on you
in particular, unless you have given
them reason to be, and | allow the
very best thing l can do for you is
to let you wrestle with the land
and the neighbors, and make your
own living and your own reputation
in Texas. | reckon l love you all q
father should, and l know your
mother prays for you night and
morning, but love don't always mean
doing everything you are asked to
do. We used to give you good ad-
vice and good money, and 1t was like
the Scripture, which says 1.-The one
shall be taken and the other left"
You took the money, and you left
the advice, and now we think you
had better get the good advice that
shifting for yourself will be pretty
sure to give you.
But in the second place, Jackson,
something has happened to our John
and that something is likely to take
a little OF our money. Your brother
John has not been fined for any
cussedness, like you used to be, and
he has not thrown away any money
at gambling. II is something else
something that quite surprised me.
and l allow it will surprise you too.
John has made up his mind to go
to Berea.
You know we kinder wanted you
to go to Berea one time, but you
just snorted at it, and we sorter give
up the idea that any Of our boys
would amount TO much. You were
the oldest and the smartest, and you
went to the city for a Business
Course" and all you brought back
was a few new cuss words, and 80
we give it up and never said any
thing TO John.
John he slid along and before we
hardly noticed il he was taller than
his dad, and the biggest boy in the
free school. He had done fairly well.
but we had not took much notice Of
him. You remember John had a pig
his uncle gave him when he was
fourteen, just before you went TO
the shining shore OF Texas? Well.
that MIG is ahOut half a Ton of good