"
Father overheard her and cried out in solemn deprecation, "Oh, Anne!
dinna put sic notions in the laddie's heed." But at this time there
was precious little need of such prayers. My brothers left the farm
when they came of age, but I stayed a year longer, loath to leave
home. Mother hoped I might be a minister some day; my sisters that I
would be a great inventor. I often thought I should like to be a
physician, but I saw no way of making money and getting the necessary
education, excepting as an inventor. So, as a beginning, I decided to
try to get into a big shop or factory and live a while among machines.
But I was naturally extremely shy and had been taught to have a poor
opinion of myself, as of no account, though all our neighbors
encouragingly called me a genius, sure to rise in the world. When I
was talking over plans one day with a friendly neighbor, he said:
"Now, John, if you wish to get into a machine-shop, just take some of
your inventions to the State Fair, and you may be sure that as soon as
they are seen they will open the door of any shop in the country for
you.
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