Jimmy was a pauper.
He did not have much money.
He did not have much to eat.
He did not have much of anything.
Jimmy spent many days looking for work.
One day he met a farmer.
"Can I work for you?" Jimmy asked him.
"Yes, but you must work hard," the farmer said.
"I promise, sir," replied Jimmy.
Jimmy kept his promise.
Every day Jimmy worked hard at the farm.
The farmer and his family liked Jimmy.
His daughter always brought him something to drink.
Jimmy loved to read and study.
He promised himself that one day, he would no longer be a pauper.
"I am going to make my life better," he vowed.
"One day I am going to become an important person."
Every free moment he had, Jimmy read and studied.
"What are you reading, Jimmy?" asked the farmer's daughter one day.
"It's a book about Napoleon," answered Jimmy.
Every day the farmer's daughter came to talk with Jimmy.
They talked about books, nature, travel, and their dreams.
They began to like each other.
The farmer did not know what was going on.
When he saw them together, everything changed.
"What is going on!" the farmer shouted.
"Please, sir, I . . . " Jimmy tried to explain, but the farmer refused to listen.
"My daughter will not marry a pauper!" the farmer shouted.
Then the farmer ordered Jimmy to leave.
"Get out! How dare you!
You are not welcome here anymore!" he shouted.
Poor Jimmy could not say another word to the farmer.
He turned around and left without looking back.
One day, 35 years later, the farmer was cleaning out the stable.
He found an old bag and some books.
The books used to belong to Jimmy.
The farmer opened one of the books.
He was very surprised.
There was a name written inside the book.
It read: James Abram Garfield.
James Abram Garfield was the name of the president.
Jimmy was a nickname for James.
The farmer could not believe it!
Jimmy the pauper was James Garfield─the president!
That day the farmer learned an important lesson:
Never judge a book by its cover.
You should not judge people by the way they look.
Jimmy kept his promise to himself.
After leaving the farm, he studied and worked hard.
He did indeed become an important person.
He went from a life as a pauper to become the twentieth president of the United States.