Norwich bulletin., 1915-12-11

He is now recognized as one of the solid men" of the community His farm is accepted as one of the best in town. He has no debts or bills coming due, and has something to the good
 put away where 1t will be handy.
 And the one reason for it was that He Took Care of Things.
 Not merely of big things, but more
 sedulously still of the little things.
 For instance, when he came back from long and sometimes driving trip to market, the harnesses were
 gone over before they were taken off
 the horses, all dust, grime, or mud wiped off, and it was noted whether
 they needed oiling in spots or not. Similarly the wagon was either hosed or sponged off, before it was run into
 it's shed and careful note made of the tires, to see they were tight of spokes,
 to see that none rattled, of hubs to see if any were running dry, of nuts and
 bolts everywhere to see that all were
 as they should be. It took sometimes
 a quarter or half an hour to do this
 inspecting and attending to harnesses
 and wagon.
 He bought them all, second hand,
 when he bought the old farm, a dozen
 years ago. He's still using them and
 they look exactly as good and fit as they did the first time I ever saw them.
 You see, he's taken care of them. ] can't swear it but I think he's still
 using the same neat driving suit he
 had on that first encounter. The first
 thing he does, on reaching home after
 marketing trip, and while his son is
 attending to the horses and harnesses
 is to throw off his coat, slip on a pair of high-cut overalls kept handy in the
 wagon shed, and thus protect his suit from wagon grease, etc, and keep it ready for the next trip.
 So, through all the operations of his
 work. No sooner is the use of any tool finished for the time, than it is care
 fully cleaned, fully repaired if it shows
 need, and put away in dry place, all
 ready for use the instant it may be wanted again.
 In the little room he has set off for his farm shop" are stored all sorts
 of bolts and nuts and screws and nails and spare parts for many tools, all kept carefully separated and marked so they can be found at a minutes notice. He isn't at all stingy about lending tools or repairs, either. But he's ada mant in one requirement.. That is that
 any tool borrowed shall be returned in
 as good condition as when taken, and put away where it belongs. The care
 less neighbor who won't show this
 much appreciation for the considera-
 tion shown him, gets no second chance. NO"y OOI nave any ICea that In1S particular neighbor Labor has ever got higher prices for his products or made much more money than several other of the farmers near him with as good If not better farms. That he has, now, the best farm of the bunch is simply due to the fact that he has taken care of it.
 That he has a practical monopoly of one of the best routes in his market city Is simply due to the fact that he
 has taken care of his customers. That he has investments instead of mortgages due is simply owing to the fact that he has taken care of what he has and thereby made it last longer and saved the cost of new things. He is living exemplification of the old saying that "a little leak will empty a big barrel" and of the other equally ancient proverb that "a stitch in time saves nine"
 He is prosperous and today in his age. can afford to take things easy" | not because his income has been un- usually big. but because he has taken care of it, such as it was; because he has always attended to the little things, not because they are little, but because they make big ones; because l he has always kept the loose ends gathered up and the loose edges tucked tr and watched the fat to see that it didn't fry over.
 There are either thirty or thirteen hundred things essential to good farm | ing. I've forgotten which if. indeed, I ever knew.
 And one of them is the ability and | the willingness to Take Care of Things t-of all sorts of Things-of Little 1 Things quite as -sedulously as Big