Bill Garman, 12-Year-Old Businessman (1946)

bill raises rabbits and hogs and you can see from this sign that is a good businessman bill owns 150 rabbits and three large hogs bunny fluffy tail greets bill with her soft little nose bill scrubs each rabbit house or hutch until it shines one bucket has clean water and the other contains rabbit food which is prepared with just the right things to make the rabbits grow big and have thick fur bill puts food in the clean dishes and changes the drinking water each family has its own hunch bunny pink ears and her family nibble their dinner and wiggle their noses these bunnies are happy in their small homes because they've always lived there the cat pirate stands guard on the roof and keeps field mice and rats from getting into the houses and eating the rabbit food bill calls him pirate because of the black patch over his eye the hutches are built high for protection from dogs and other enemies and are open so the rabbits can Sun themselves underneath the hutches the Ducks amble around scolding and hunting for any food that may drop they keep the rabbit yard clean and the rabbit feed is good food for them too after the rabbits are skinned their hides are put on wire stretchers to dry for about 48 hours these hides have fine soft hair and should bring a good price they're used for ladies fur coats and fur-lined gloves and also many aviators coats are lined with rabbit fur bill sells the rabbits for food and their meat is tender because they have been carefully raised it's a warm day and bill is getting ready to market the skins he ties them in a neat bundle and off he goes bill will buy a new but rabbit with the money he makes on the skins he's lucky to live near a company that buys skins Mr Murdoch meets bill at the door he knows the garmins have good stock and he's glad to buy their hides bill points out there fine quality and shows Mr Murdoch affair very uniform he's a good salesman and he bargains hard for a high price he'd hoped for more but on the whole he squeezed and seals the bargain for six dollars 11 cents about 50 cents of skin bill counts his money carefully he will stop at the bank on the way so he will deposit $150 for his family bill has three large hogs that are ready for market and his father knows a man who will buy the hogs for fifty dollars for each hog bill checks his balance and figures what he will do with the money he makes on the Hogs three pigs at fifty dollars $150 put in bank $100 leaves fifty dollars fifty dollars for new baby pigs baby pigs cost ten dollars ten into fifty dollars buys five new pigs his father is taught him to handle money and keep exact records of his accounts it's really going to be fun to buy those five pigs but if he's going to take on more hogs he better get to work first thing spray rosemary to keep her skin healthy and clean he pumps up the sprayer and now he shoots an even amount of the fluid over the hog bill sister patty tags after him all day patty admirers bills skill with the animals and tries to act just like him fáilte scissor sisters can be an awful nuisance a pen often needs to be repaired bill tightens the loose nails on the corners and tests the sides now the pen is secure and bill force feed into Rosemary's trough bill feeds is Boggs morning and night hugs eat only a little at a time and it's good to me round so that they can help themselves in this way they grow big and fat Phil really likes to have patty around even if she's young she is company currently thinks she's a mighty smart girl even a help at times bill loves his hogs and you can see that they think a lot of him too it's pretty hard to sell daffodil and Susie especially since he's won several prizes with daffodil at the 4-h club fair's tomorrow dad will take the three hogs to market and Bill hates to part with them bill buys his pigs from his neighbor cam Martin who raises fine purebred hogs this is an exciting moment for bill after all fifty dollars is a lot of money for a twelve-year-old to invest cam tells bill he has very fine pigs of almost any age dad joins them and they stop first at the pen of Madame Joseph II a blue-ribbon winner these pigs are too small bill wants them older so he can judge their build and bone structure it's best to buy strong healthy stock and when these pigs grow up bill hopes to raise his own pigs the next pen here to the babies are small and their mother isn't so pretty on they go now here's a litter each Pig is strong in fat and what a sow bill picks out his pigs but how much will cam want mustn't look too anxious now cam how much for these pigs what $11 a pig couldn't you make it ten dollars by 45 cam nods and the deal is closed what are they bill never thought he'd be able to buy five purebred pigs with the money he earned himself there's a new air about Bill as he tackles his evening chores after all he's a stock man now he might save his money and buy a Guernsey cow like bell or buttercup he ties them in the sunny orchard and returns to his rabbits after all he better stick to his rabbits and hogs not try too many things do a few things it all takes a lot of figuring and he has to save money for his trip to camp next summer of course the family's always willing to help out but it's fun being independent makes a fella feel right deep inside sorta sure of himself bill figures in his 4-h club book how much food II will need for his rabbits and baby pigs who has certain duties for each day as his share of the family work of course he isn't paid for this work but he often makes extra money doing odd jobs for his father now his father paid him twelve dollars 50 cent which he owes him hey Bill what's it doing there come tad and shorty what's up I wonder they're nice pals all right but they're always out of money oh no money in the high school ball game in just one hour to west high against East High hey we'll help you with your work Phil honestly we will if you'll only put up the money bill takes a little convincing they did help paint the fence and rabbit hutches after all their pals and he too would like to see the game and dad said no hurry about those jobs it's a deal why it's really great five new pigs and an exciting game would fit all pad and Jordan