THE HORSE-AND-BUGGY MAN
August 3 found me at Four Oaks in the early afternoon. A great hollow
had been dug for the cellar, and Thompson said that it would take but
one more full day to finish it. Piles of material gave evidence that the
mason was alert, and the house-mover had already dropped his long
timbers, winch, and chains by the side of the farm-house.
While I was discussing matters with Thompson, a smart trap turned into
the lot, and a well-set-up young man sprang out of the stylish runabout
and said,--
"Dr. Williams, I hear you want more help on your farm."
"I can use another man or two to advantage, if they are good ones."
"Well, I don't want to brag, but I guess I am a good one, all right. I
ain't afraid of work, and there isn't much that I can't do on a farm.
What wages do you pay?"
I told him my plan of an increasing wage scale, and he did not object.
"That includes horse keep, I suppose?" said he.
"I do not know what you mean by 'horse keep.'"
"Why, most of the men on farms around here own a horse and buggy, to use
nights, Sundays, and holidays, and we expect the boss to keep the horse.
This is my rig. It is about the best in the township; cost me $280 for
the outfit."
"See here, young man, this is another specimen of farm economics, and it
is one of the worst in the lot. Let me do a small example in mental
arithmetic for you. The interest on $280 is $14; the yearly depreciation
of your property, without accidents, is at least $40; horse-shoeing and
repairs, $20; loss of wages (for no man will keep your horse for less
than $4 a month), $48. In addition to this, you will be tempted to spend
at least $5 a month more with a horse than without one; that is $60
more. You are throwing away $182 every year without adding $1 to your
value as an employee, one ounce of dignity to your employment, or one
foot of gain in your social position, no matter from what point you view
it.
"Taking it for granted that you receive $25 a month for every month of
the year (and this is admitting too much), you waste more than half on
that blessed rig, and you can make no provision for the future, for
sickness, or for old age. No, I will not keep your horse, nor will I
employ any man whose scheme of life doesn't run further than the
ownership of a horse and buggy."
"But a fellow must keep up with the procession; he must have some
recreation, and all the men around here have rigs."
"Not around Four Oaks. Recreation is all right, but find it in ways less
expensive. Read, study, cultivate the best of your kind, plan for the
future and save for it, and you will not lack for recreation. Sell your
horse and buggy for $200, if you cannot get more, put the money at
interest, save $200 out of your wages, and by the end of the year you
will be worth over $400 in hard cash and much more in self-respect. You
can easily add 1200 a year to your savings, without missing anything
worth while; and it will not be long before you can buy a farm, marry a
wife, and make an independent position. I will have no horse-and-buggy
men on my farm. It's up to you."
"By Jove! I believe you may be right. It looks like a square deal, and
I'll play it, if you'll give me time to sell the outfit."
"All right, come when you can. I'll find the work."
That day being Saturday, I told Thompson that I would come out early
Monday morning, bringing with me a rough map of the place as I had
planned it, and we would go over it with a chain and drive some
outlining stakes. I then returned to Exeter, found the carpenter and the
plumber, and accepted their estimates,--$630 and $325, respectively. The
farm-house moved, finished, furnished, and heated, but not painted or
papered, would cost $2630. Painting, papering, window-shades, and odds
and ends cost $275, making a total of $2905. It proved a good
investment, for it was a comfortable and convenient home for the men and
women who afterward occupied it. It has certainly been appreciated by
its occupants, and few have left it without regret. We have always tried
to make it an object lesson of cleanliness and cheerfulness, and I don't
think a man has lived in it for six months without being bettered. It
seemed a good deal of money to put on an old farm-house for farm-hands,
but it proved one of the best investments at Four Oaks, for it kept the
men contented and cheerful workers.