When we children-two older brothers and myself-became aware that other children got spending money from their parents, we made the mistake of asking father for some. His face turned stone cold.“If you're old enough to ask, you're old enough to earn,”he rumbled. And so, when the need arose, we scurried about the neighborhood seeking odd jobs or peddling produce from the garden.
His attitude didn't soften as we grew into adulthood and drifted away to jobs or college. There was a period of time when none of us had a car, so we had to ride the bus whenever we came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met us, even in inclement weather. If someone grumbled（and my brothers grumbled a lot），he'd say in his loudest father-voice,“That's what your legs are for!”