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t home like this。〃 She seemed to be greatly pleased。 But now I know that the sparkle in her eyes was for me。 Her boy had done all this for his mother。 If I had given her a pair of shoes that pinched her feet； she would have worn them smiling for my sake。 Father looked out the windows at the neighboring residences。 〃Who lives there？〃 he asked。 〃And who lives yonder？〃 I told him the great names of his neighbors。
〃Son；〃 he said； 〃you do not wish to lock your parents up in a prison； do you？〃
Then he explained： 〃We do not know these people。 We are too old to make new friends。 We would never be at ease here； we would be lonely。 We like the little home that we bought with our own savings。 It has become a part of ourselves； it fits us like the wrinkles on our faces。 If we moved here our old friends would never come to see us。 This magnificence would scare them away。 No； son。 We thank you for offering us this house； but it is not for us。 We will stay in the little cottage where our old friends will be free to come and light a pipe and chat and drowse away the evening hours that yet remain。
How wise he was！ He knew the fitness of things。 His simple comforts； his old friends； these he valued more than riches； and the valuation that he put upon them was the right one。
CHAPTER XII
MY HAND TOUCHES IRON
When I was eleven I got a regular job that paid me fifty cents a day。 So I quit school just where the Monitor had sunk the Merrimac in the 〃first fight of the ironclads。〃 Thereafter my life was to be bound up with the iron industry。 My job was in a nail factory。 I picked the iron splinters from among the good nails that had heads on them。 This taught me that many are marred in the making。 Those that are born with bad heads must not be used in building a house or the house will fall。 In the head of the nail is its power to hold fast。 Men are like nails； some have the hold…fast will in their heads。 Others have not。 They were marred in the making。 They must be thrown aside and not used in building the state； or the state will fall。
I put the good nails into kegs； and the headless nails and splinters were sent back to be melted into window weights。 Handling sharp nails is hard on the hands。 And the big half… dollar that I earned was not unmarred with blood。 Every pay…day I took home my entire earnings and gave them to mother。 All my brothers did the same。 Mother paid the household expenses； bought our clothing and allotted us spending money and money for Sunday… school。
This is a cynical age and I can imagine that I hear somebody snicker when I confess the fondness I had for the Sunday…school。 I don't want any one to think I am laying claim to the record of having always been a good little boy； nor that everything I did was wise。 No； I confess I did my share of deviltry； that some of my deeds were foolish； and （to use the slang of that time） I often got it in the neck。 Once I bantered a big fat boy to a fight。 He chased me and I ran and crawled into a place so narrow that I knew he couldn't follow me。 I crawled under the floor of a shed that was only about six inches above the ground。 Fatty was at least ten inches thick and I thought I was safe。 But he didn't try to crawl under the floor after me。 He went inside the shed and found that the boards of the floor sank beneath his weight like spring boards。 And there that human hippopotamus stood jumping up and down while he mashed me into the mud like a mole under a pile…driver。 I had showed that I had 〃a head on me like a nail〃 when I crawled under that floor and let Fatty step on me。 There is a saying； 〃You can't keep a good man down。〃 But Fatty kept me down； and so I must admit he was a better man than I was。 Some people say you should cheer for the under…dog。 But that isn't always fair。 The under…dog deserves our sympathy； the upper…dog must be a better dog or he couldn't have put the other dog down。 I give three cheers for the winner。 Any tribe that adopts the rule of always hissing the winner has found a real way to discourage enterprise。
I owned a part interest in some pigeons with a boy named Jack Thomas。 The pigeons' nests were in Jack's back yard。 He told me that my share of the eggs had rotted and his share had hatched； so that my interest in the young pigeons had died out and they were all his now。 I was sure it was a quibble and that he was cheating me。 It made me mad and I sneaked up to the pigeon loft and put a tiny pin prick in all the eggs in the nests。 This was invisible but it caused the eggs to rot as he said mine had； and I felt that this was only justice。 Turn about is fair play。
When Jack's eggs didn't hatch he suspected me； for I had been so foolish as to predict that his eggs wouldn't hatch。 And so he was sure I was responsible； although he didn't know how。 In fact his mother had seen me enter the barn and had told Jack about it。 One day when I went to the pasture to get the hotel keeper's cows； I ran into Jack hunting ground squirrels with his dog。 He set his dog chasing the cows and then ran away out of my reach。 The dog yelped at the cows heels and they galloped about the pasture in a panic。 I shouted to Jack to call off his dog or there would be trouble the next time I met him。 But Jack； who was out of reach； shouted encouragement instead。 Round and round the cattle raced with that howling dog scaring them into fits。 At last the dog tired of the fun and trotted off to join Jack； who was disappearing over the hill。 I then tried to round up the cows and get them out of the pasture。 But the brutes were wet with sweat and as wild as deer。 I saw that they could not be milked in that condition and felt that Jack's conduct was outrageous。 He had not only made trouble for me； he had injured the hotel keeper。 There would be no milk that night fit to be used。
I started straight for Jack's home to tell his mother of his lawless act。 As I went along； I turned the case over in my mind； and the case grew stronger and stronger all the time。 Before I reached Jack's door I had； satisfied myself that his mother would be shocked at the news and would at once cut a big switch to give Jack the licking he deserved。
But when I began to tell Mrs。 Thomas of her son's crime； she sided with Jack and wouldn't listen to me。 〃Don't come to me with your troubles； you nasty little whiffet；〃 she cried。 〃You started the whole thing when you sneaked in and ruined Jack's pigeon eggs。 Now that you've got the worst of it you come here with your tattle…tales。 You ought to be ashamed to show your face〃 She had become so threatening that I turned and ran。 My whole case had gone to pieces on her sharp tongue like a toy balloon pricked with a pin。 I had been blowing it up until it got so big I couldn't see anything else。 It burst right in my face； and there wasn't even a scrap of rubber to tell where it had been。
This taught me one of the best lessons I ever learned。 By looking only at his side of a case a man can kid himself into thinking that he is wholly right； that his cause is greater than himself and represents the rights of the entire community。 But a counter…blast from the other side will deflate his balloon in a second and he'll come down to earth without even a pa