The Glenwood post., 1917-09-22

hogs. Farm work became distasteful,
and early in his teens he left home for
job in a nearby city Brown did
not care much, since Jim took so little
interest anyway. The last l knew of
jim he was barbering in Des Moines
at $15 week. =
Arthur Jones was l6 and a hard
working boy. His father was KING
enough and they got along well. But
his mother was citified and aristo-
cratically inclined. She went to the
town church, and belonged to- the
Shakespeare club, the suffrage organl-
zation, and other affairs too numerous
to mention. The girls beaus came
from town. They came in cars. to see
the girls, and Art was told to stay out
of the parlor. He liked the country
boys and often visited them on Sunday
afternoons. But he was afraid to ask
them over unless he knew that his
mother and the girls would be away.
They always We're glad, though, when
Arthur had the town boys come OUT,
and never refused to let him return
their visits. At first Art didn t take
to them rapidly, but gradually he fell
into their ways, and they became his
sole associates All his entertainment
was found in town, and feeding hogs,
milking cows, blowing corn, and pitch
ing hay lost their interest. To the de-
light of his mother and sisters, he de-
cided to get a job in town, although
for time his father protested.
At first Arthur tried hard, but being
unqualified for any of the better posi-
tions he eventually accepted the way of
least resistance, and the last l knew of
him he was running pool hall as his
principal business, and playing poker
on the side. If any reference is made
to him, the mother concludes by telling
how his father never tried to keep Kim
on the farm.
Old man Spratt was rich. He owned
a section of land in eastern Nebraska.
He had big barns, cribs and sheds, also
a big house, for he had big family.
Every one of them out of swaddling
clothes worked. This was all right, but
they worked too hard. Seven-year old
Johnnie carried heavy pals of swill,
picked potatoes all day long, and was
Kept out of school to husk corn in cold
weather. Fourteen -year-old Gus walked
and cultivated 10 acres day. He
pitched heavy slough hay until I
thought his young back would break.
Pigs and chic kens ran up to the door.
There was no music in the house, 10
pictures, absolutely no books, and
hardly newspaper.
The old man was long on booze, and
when drunk, how he would beat those
boys. One Sunday morning about 4
o'clock old Spratt came home from one
of the neighbours where he had been
playing schaafskopf,' drunk as a
lord. He began on his wife and the
all in which the old man received vac
beating for once. Gus ran away from
home and in order to get clear out of
the country, and thus prevent his faith
er from collecting his wages, he forged
a check on a kind ncighbor and was
caught. The father refused to help
him, but, knowing the circumstances,
the judge made the sentence light and
Gus went to Jail for 60 days
Now the court house lawn was bean
tiful, with bluegrass, trees, shrubs and
flowers. The Jail poined the sheriff 5
house. The sheriff was an intelligent
man. He and his wife had made an
intensive study of the causes of crime,
They took fancy to the boy and gave
him clean bed, good books, and beau.
tifnl pictures. When his sentence was
up, Gus begged the sheriff with teals
In his eyes to let him stay longer, say
ing that it was the only home he ever
had known, and the kindest treatment
he ever had received. The last knew
OF him he was deputy sheriff in one
of the newer counties of Montana.
Mr.. johnson moved into eastern
Kansas from the south. He had rented
for four years and moved continually.
He had very poor farm equipment. Tho
horses were old and the farm machin.
|
he never had tried to get start in
live stock.
As the boys grew up they were diff
ferent. They saw how other success.
full farmers were doing and xanted IN