He was thinking of setting out again to go from town to town looking for work, but I had advised him against it.

I had told him that he would merely find crowds of idle men roaming from mill to mill along with him.

My brothers gave him similar advice.
"Father," we said, "it is a time of business depression and wide-spread unemployment.

If you went to Pittsburgh you might find a few weeks' work, but it would not pay you to go there for it.

You would have to lay out cash for your board and lodging there before you could send anything home to mother.