Show THE by albeit R lyman he lived in san juan and for thu this account his name is bill bill was no financier ever everybody body knew it better still bill himself knew it he felt it keenly and he borrowed no money to start some ome 4 big business but simply spit on his hands and flew at the task of making a living he looked at the business as a problem 0 providing certain necessities instead of accumulating abing property in general ile he was eager enough for a cash job but a dozen eager men stood with watering mouths around every prospect so instead of joining that idle army he helped a farmer harvest some rome potatoes accepting potatoes es fr for his pay in this simple little job he be made his services so attractive that it was easy to arrange for the team to haul baul wood on shares and in this way he be laid in his supply of winter fuel and still no cash job appeared though that whole army of men waited eagerly while he gathered the potatoes and hauled the wood with nothing better in sight he went back with his ax to the tree grown hills and began piling up wood and posts he put in regular hours as if the wages for it were plainly in sight and he kept right on hoping for there was nothing better to do his menu for himself and his little flock at home was extremely simple consisting mainly of potatoes but they had abundance of wood to keep them warm and they were not going in debt as were so many of their neighbors when winter broke on the scene with snow and cold it made wood hard to got get and at the same time brought it very much in demand so bill found weasy it easy to trade for pork and J lour our he reaped d n new ew courage from his persi persistent stert efforts 1 but the shoes and clothing and some other necessities of course if poverty were relieved it would cease to be poverty yet bills folks fared better than the families of the men who had waited all fall and into winter for a job and found none bill was not in debt he had bad not tom corn t om promised his pride by accepting charity and instead of hibernating like a sleepy old bear lie he continued to pile up more wood and posts till the approach of spring that was his first year in san juan and it was more full of hardship than any year that followed for in that year he had broken through the tough crust once for 11 the next winter found him better prepared though he had found but few days of work for cash all the same he had been busy now here now there anything to provide against times of want between times he took up a list of things he had been wanting to do around home making it more comfortable for table and convenient improvising furniture and improving the place he worked for a team and wagon and traded for a few tools to lo repair or to make much of his equipment with that kind of beginning the third year found him starting to get on his feet he kept out of debt he met every issue as it ft came helas building slowly and patiently for years of sturdy independence he was never rich but he aie was never in want he got a few good cows and the necessary equipment for his little farm his team was always johnnie on the spot but though he cared carefully for his little farm ile he made no plans to accumulate a great lot of property ile he planned first to get what his family had to have and he got it to his own mind he was rich ire he preferred his own station to that of men who had bad more than they could care for and who were worried to death all the time about their taxes and endless responsibilities for property beyond their needs he was of course better off than those who had less t than 11 an he and really to his own mind he was the most fortunate man in the n neighborhood no hunger bunger 1 no nei debt ho idleness uke like the village blacksmith he does some worthy work every day to earn a nights repose |