From Farm to Fortune | Page 6

the house, which he did after tying
his clothes and the lunch into one bundle, which he slung on a stick
over his shoulder. Once outside, he put on his shoes and then made his
way from the house to the barnyard, and then along the lane leading to
the pasture.
The late moon was showing over the hills and the heavens were bright
with stars, so it was by no means dark. As he entered the lane Nat
looked back, to see if his departure from the house had been
discovered.
A sight met his gaze which caused his heart to jump. A man was
crossing the dooryard and coming toward the barn!
"It must be Uncle Abner!" he thought. "Perhaps he heard me leave after
all!"
He looked back again, but could not see the man now, and then broke
into a run. Soon a row of trees in the orchard hid both the barn and the
house from view. He continued to run, however, and did not slacken
his pace until he reached the pasture where the cows were at rest.
Jennie did not relish having her rest disturbed and had to be prodded
several times before she would arise and move in the direction he
desired. Some of the other cows wished to follow, but he drove them
back.
"I only want my own," he murmured half aloud. "I don't want a thing
that belongs to Uncle Abner."
Nat had expected to take to the highway which ran directly beside the

house. But he was afraid that his uncle was watching for him from the
barn, and so he drove Jennie along a back road, leading to another
highway which was but little traveled and which had along it only a
handful of farmhouses.
"He shan't catch me if I can help it," the boy told himself. "Now I've
left I'm going to stay away."
Nat was still very much agitated in his mind, so no thought of sleep
came to him as he trudged along, mile after mile, driving the tired cow
before him. He met not a soul; and thus he progressed until three
o'clock in the morning.
Boy and cow had now been on the road six hours and Jennie refused to
go further. Seeing this, he turned into a small patch of woods and there
tied the creature to a tree. Then, finding a sheltered nook, he threw
himself down to rest and was soon fast asleep.
"Hullo, there, what are you doing here?"
Such was the demand which aroused Nat several hours later, and he
sprang up to find himself confronted by a farmer boy of about his own
age.
"Hullo, Sam," he answered. "I--I was driving the cow to market and I
got so tired I thought I'd take a nap."
"Going to sell the cow?" asked Sam Price.
"Yes, if I can."
"Where?"
"Over to Brookville, if anybody will buy her."
"Jackson the butcher was after cows only day before yesterday."
"Then maybe I'll go and see him."

"You must have got an early start," went on Sam Price.
"I did. But I must hurry along," continued Nat, not caring to answer too
many questions. "I slept too long."
"You'd better hurry. Your uncle ain't the one to let you play, is he?"
"You're right, Sam."
"What does he want you to get for the cow?"
"It isn't his cow. She belongs to me. I had her from the time she was a
little calf, and I've a right to sell her."
"Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, I hope you get a good price for her."
"I'll get as much as I can."
"Want me to go along?"
"You can go along if you wish."
"All right, I haven't anything else to do for a while."
"But I want to tell you one thing, Sam. Can you keep a secret?"
"Can I? Try me and see."
"You won't tell a soul?"
"I'll give you my word. But what's up?"
"I'm not coming back."
"What!"
"It's a fact."
"Do you mean that you are going to run away?"

"That's the plain English of it, Sam. I'm tired of living with my uncle.
He doesn't treat me fairly."
"I believe that. My father thinks he is the meanest man in the State of
Ohio."
"Well, I don't know about that, but he is pretty mean, I can tell you that.
I'm not going to stand it any longer."
"Where are you going?"
"I don't know yet. Most likely to one of the big cities. Somehow, I think
I could do better in a city than on a farm."
"Do you? Now I think a country boy has no show in a big city. He don't
know the ways, and he is sure to