CHAPTER II.
Boyhood of James.—Attempts at Carpentry.—First Earnings.—His Thirst for Knowledge.—The Garfield Coat-of-Arms.—Ancestry, etc.
True to his promise, Thomas returned in a few months with seventy-five dollars in gold, which seemed a great sum to the little family.
"Now you shall have the new house, mother," he exclaimed; and it was not many days after, that the carpenter was hired and the work begun.
James watched the building with keen, observant eyes. Before the house was completed he had learned a good part of the trade and practised it besides.
"I think I'll have to employ you when I want an extra hand," laughed the good-natured mechanic, as he noticed how cleverly James used the mallet, chisel and plane.
"I wish you would; I like the trade," exclaimed the boy, with sudden earnestness.
After the family had moved into the new house, which consisted of three rooms below and two above, Thomas went back to his work in Michigan, and James returned to his labor on the farm.