Thomas, who was not thirteen, at once decided that his little
brother should go to school. He would have been glad to go as well,
but he knew that his time would be fully occupied in digging up the
potatoes and harvesting the corn. Never was mother prouder of her son
than was Mrs. Garfield of the sturdy lad, who was ready and anxious to
fill a father's place to his brother and sisters, at an age when most
boys think only of tops and kites.

About this time Jimmy had his first pair of shoes. Thomas was the good
fairy who provided them. By doing odd jobs for a neighbour, he earned
enough money to pay the shoemaker. As houses were few and far between,
it was the custom for the man to live and do his work in the houses of
those who employed him. The happy boy had therefore the pleasure of
watching the shoemaker at work. He saw the leather cut into shape, and
then formed into shoes to fit his feet. Then there came the joy of
wearing them, and the satisfaction of being able to run about without
fear of treading on a sharp stone or thorn.

Mrs. Garfield was busy with her needle for days before the school
opened, preparing the necessary clothing, that her children might
appear neat and tidy. And when the day came round, Mehetabel set out
with Jimmy on her back, and her younger sister by her side. When they
returned, Mrs. Garfield and Thomas eagerly questioned the scholars, who
declared that they had had "such a good time." Full of excitement,
they described the events of the day, and regarded the twenty-one
scholars present as a most astonishing number.

Yet the school was but a log cabin, like the one in which the Garfield
family lived. The teacher was a young man, who taught school one part
of the year to earn money to pay for his education in the other part.
The teacher received a certain sum of money for his work, and the
parents of the children took him by turns to board in their houses.
James was an apt scholar, and at once began to question the teacher, to
the no small amusement of the scholars. When the teacher told him
anything, he wanted to know why it was so, and how the teacher knew.
And this curiosity extended to the names of the letters of the alphabet.

Winter came, and James pursued his studies at home. The long winter
evenings were spent in reading. Lying on the wooden floor, he eagerly
read page after page, by the light of the huge log fire which burned on
the hearth. Before he was six year