The fool-killer., 1914-08-01

I took it. That proved to be the turn
ing point in my career. | soon learned
the printers trade and it turned out
to be a valuable schooling for me.
have picked up in the printing Office
a general knowledge of affairs that is
tolerable good substitute for the
school education that missed. To-day
[ wouldn't be much afraid to measure
the little knowledge I have picked up
with half the school teachers in the
State.
And so, having learned the printing
and newspaper trade, I soon moved on
from the country weekly to city
daily, and from ''office devil' to edi-
toria1 writer and Washington CORES
pondent. At one time, for period OF
several months, | made my headquar-
tiers in Washington City and wrote
nearly all the dope" for paper hav-
ing a circulation of 100000.
But all this time I was a "hireG
hand" and had to take my orders
from 'boss." That didn't suit my
notion very weN, and so I found my
self planning to settle down and star
a business of my own.
There is always a girl somewhere
in the foreground of young mans
plans at about that age
In an unguarded moment sht
said Yes and that's how
| she got herself into trouble. W.
were married in the city of Charlotte
NC, on May 1st, 1907. Cora Wallac,
had been in very bad health for tw,
or three years before / married her
Her trouble was asthma and a ba'
cough. But [ married her just th'
same, hoping could give her chanc'
to get we'll.
Soon after our marriage we decidet
that the hot weather and the bad wa
ted of Charlotte would go against NJ,
wife's health, and so [ gave up my jo1
with the Observer Company and W
came back here to Moravian Fall
where we we're both born and raised
Some months before this had say
ed up little money and bought an oil
poor ridge farm near this village, an
had also picked up small job print
ing press and few pounds of secon
hand type. This little printing outf
was stored in the basement of the oil
farmhouse while [ was away, an
when I brought my wife back her
there was nothing to do but to locat
on the old farm. 1t was my intentio
to run my job printing Office gettin
out a book Of my poems, and farm
little at the same time.
My wife is a printer as we'll as my
self, and she helped me all she coul
; on the book, but her cough and asthm
seemed to be getting worse, and sh
} was not able to do much. Her wors
suffering was at night, when she coul
? not lie down and sleep, but had to S
propped up in bed and cough an
smother all night.
But we worked on at the book q
fast as we could, until finally it Wa
finished and ready for sale. 1t COZ
5 tanned nearly a hundred of my be-
short poems, and it's title was Cast
2 Gates It was bound in red cloth, an
2 the binding was a very neat jOb-eve
if we did do it ourselves. Fifty cen
e was the price we set on the book.
D printed a circular to advertise it, ar
4 wrote lots of letters, but the sale W.
= very slow. In order to sell enoue
t books to get living expenses I had
9 get out and canvass the neighbour
t towns. It was hard work and very di
couraging, but by keeping at it I fina
I ly managed to sell most of the editio
t which was only 500 copies But
d fast as the money had come in it W;
i used to live on, so we we're no bett
e off than before.
All the time my wife's health conti
: ued to get worse and worse, and h
t suffering more intense, and it w
: plainly evident that something wou
e have to be done The farm was most
red banks and too poor to make a Ii
ing on, and the sale of books was t.
n uncertain.
o With these and several other thin
IS in mind, [ sat down to study the sit
1T alton over and map out course of a