nothing;either;of;them;could;do;to;keep
the cold weather from making their feet
ache as they waited. When the cobbler
finally did arrive, three weeks late, he
explained;the;reason;for;the;delay:;One
family;had;held;him;up;because;they;had
asked him to make shoes for a wedding.
At Almanzo’s house, the cobbler got
right;to;work,;telling;jokes;and;looking
through;the;hides;that;Almanzo’s;father
had;tanned;the;previous;year.;After;din-ner, Almanzo got the biggest surprise
of the cobbler’s visit—Almanzo’s father
asked;the;cobbler;to;make;Almanzo;a;pair
of boots!;He;was;finally;old;enough;to;wear
boots—as;Father;and;Royal;did—and;no
longer had to wear boyish moccasins.
Making;a;pair;of;boots;was;a;long;and
tedious;procedure.;Shoe;pegs;had;to;be
fashioned from exactly the right kind of
wood,;Almanzo’s;feet;had;to;be;measured
in every direction, soles had to be cut,
and thread had to be waxed. Only then
could the cobbler begin sewing together
the boots. Every stitch required holes
that;had;been;punched;with;an;awl,;and
then;the;waxed;thread;had;to;be;pulled
tightly;through;those;holes.;The;finished
product;was;a;seam;the;cobbler;could;be
proud;of.;The;cobbler;boasted:;“Your;feet
won’t;get;damp;in;my;boots,;even;if;you
go wading in them. I never sewed a seam
yet;that;wouldn’t;hold;water.” 2
Life as an entrepreneur today is far
different;than;it;was;in;Almanzo’s;day.
Topics;such;as;liability;insurance,;Social
Security;taxes,;and;workers’;compensa-tion were far from the minds of the tin
peddler;and;the;cobbler;as;they;struck
out to build businesses for themselves.
They never had to deal with things such
as 401k’s and downsizing. Neverthe-less,;they;experienced;many;of;the;same
struggles;that;modern;entrepreneurs;still
face today. Whether you haul your living
behind;you;in;a;tin;peddler’s;wagon;or;in
a trailer behind a Peterbilt, a mechanical problem or an accident can mean
the;end;of;your;job;and;your;livelihood.
Mechanics;and;cobblers;alike;depend;on
the health and strength of their hands to
do;the;skilled;work;required.;An;injury
or arthritis could bring either way of life
to an end.
Why do modern-day entrepreneurs
press;on?;I;think;many;persevere;for;the
same;reason;that;pioneer;entrepreneurs
did—the;opportunity;to;pass;on;a;legacy
to their children. Indeed, it is a legacy
that;all;who;labor;can;leave;behind:;the
legacy;of;a;job;well;done.;The;tin;peddler
and;the;cobbler;shared;their;dependable
products, friendship, and joyful hearts
with the Wilders, and those are things
that;an;entrepreneur;of;any;age;should;be
proud;to;leave;behind.
Bonnie Rose Hudson lives in central Pennsylvania with her mother and sister. She
loves being a part of SchoolhouseTeachers
.com and The;Old;Schoolhouse®;Magazine,
where her love of God, history, and writing
all work together. She invites you to stop by
and meet the star of her children’s historical
fiction series at Exploring;with;Jake.
Endnotes:
1.;Farmer Boy;by;Laura;Ingalls;Wilder.;A;Harper
www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
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of big words
anymore!”
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2-12
www.dynamichomeschool.com
Life;as;an;entrepreneur
today;is;far;different;than
it;was;in;Almanzo’s;day.
