“Mother, I am old enough to understand my duty. I wanted to go to the College very, very much; but now I know that it is impossible. We must meet adversity, and meet it bravely.”
Her only answer was to embrace the boy who was acquiring manliness at such a rapid rate.
The school question for the term having been settled, the next question was to consider what steps could be taken to increase their very small income. The subject having been opened, was discussed at various times during the next two weeks. There was a twenty acre farm adjoining the little home of the Harkins. It came up against the little vegetable garden which Mr. Harkins had cultivated with care and profit during his lifetime. The tenant of the large tract had been unfortunate, and he was anxious to sub-let his lease for a very modest sum of money. Herbert consulted with Mr. Coke, the lawyer, regarding the matter, and after some days it was decided to purchase the lease, which had about two years to run.
The first step in the new life was the engaging of a farmhand to do the heavy work on the twenty acre tract. A reliable, industrious man was secured for a very reasonable amount of wages; but with the understanding that he would be kept for at least two years. The work was begun under pleasant auspices. After it had proceeded a few weeks, it was decided that Herbert should get as much schooling as he could in the meantime. It must be admitted that he attended school rather irregularly during this period. It was at this time of his life that he learned in a manner never to be forgotten that this is a world of hard work. Often he got out of bed before dawn in order to ride the horse to plough among the growing corn, potatoes and hops. The program was to get as much ploughed by ten o’clock in the morning as could be hoed during the remainder of that day. After this Herbert would start for school, where he sometimes arrived as the afternoon session was half through. In winter his work was lighter, but the snow was often deep and drifted. The cold was intense, the north wind piercing and his clothing so thin that he felt real discomfort.
At night, when his work was over and he had a spare hour, he made it a habit to study the art of debating. The first book he ever owned was the “Columbian Orator,” which was given to him by his uncle one winter as he lay very sick with the measles. In the natural order of things Herbert soon became recognized as the head of the house, and his mother leaned on him for advice and accepted his decisions without question. At the end of the first year, when Herbert balanced his carefully kept accounts, he found that they had come out just even. It was a little bit discouraging to find that they had made no profit from their hard work; but it was a real consolation to know that there had been no further drain upon the small amount of money which Mrs. Harkins had laid aside from her husband’s insurance policy.