About a year after Mother's second marriage and during school vacation, I went out to visit Grandfather and Grandmother Hamil. All of their nine children, except Elsie, the youngest, had married and left home. Grandfather gave me the runt of a litter of nine pigs that was trying to get a living out of its mother's hind teat and wasn't doing very well. I got some old boards and made a box for it and fed it the best the cows produced. We soon became good friends and it followed me around like a puppy. Grandfather also gave me a setting hen and 13 eggs to put under her. In three weeks I was the very proud owner of a pig, a hen, and 11 colorful little chickens, all my very own. I was in business.
I kept the wood box filled, cut kindling for the fire in the morning, (there was no coal available), fed the chickens and turkeys, gathered the eggs, and helped grandmother in the garden.
I had a playmate, Johnny Woods, an adopted son of Mr. Forbes who owned the farm across the road. I was busy and happy and like the celebrated man who came to dinner, I just stayed until I was about 15 years of age.
I attended the one room little red school at McKay's corners, a mile and a half down the road.