... "When Ed. Coe, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, began some twelve years ago
publishing Cold Spring items, signed by 'Greenhorn,' he published the
first lines I ever wrote, at which time some spirit (or some unseen
thing) seemed to be always whispering in my ear that I must write a
book.
"Never could I drive from me these thoughts, and situated as I was,
with plenty of farm work to do, no education at all, no knowledge of
such business, no friends to help me, but lots to kick me down, I can
tell you I was pretty well discouraged, and if I had not had lots of
courage, the contents of this book would not have been written.
"This work is the only kind of work that I can get interested in, and
should I pass to the mysterious beyond without gaining any name in
this way, I would declare with my last breath that my life, as far as
myself was concerned, had been a failure."