Elmer was good at pranks, but
he wasn't much of a scholar. At age 14, he was done with school
and went to work at the nearby Galloway sawmill for 25 cents an
hour. Making money had more immediate practical application than
further education. He walked five miles each way on the railroad
track and when he got there he worked nine hours a day. There
was no such thing as a coffee break.
By the early 40s, though, Elmer
was fed up with the sawmill and when the boss promised him a raise
to 45 cents an hour and only gave him 42 cents, that was good
enough reason to quit.
His brothers and sisters grew
up, married and left home, and Elmer was the one who remained
with his parents. He had no yearning to go elsewhere, which may
be one of the secrets to maintaining the family farm; at least
one person must not wish to see the world. Elmer's one chance
for adventure by being a WWII soldier was thwarted because his
work on the farm was considered to be more vital to the war effort
than direct participation.
Although he enlisted and underwent
basic training, the Canadian government sent him back to the farm
for the rest of the war.
