In The Boyhood of Lincoln

s of the Methodists and the four-days' meetings of the Baptists in southern Indiana, and the school-house meetings everywhere. She was a widow, was full of rude energy and benevolence,

he used to say, "and it is bec

ext of her life was "Work," and her pra

ile the day is passin'. We's all children of the clay. To-day we're here smart as pepper-grass

ared, shading her eyes with one hand and holding a birch broom in the other. The sunset was flooding the

d he. "The heavens are blue abo

other day, I suppose. I've been hopin' you'd come along and see me

e from Germany to Pennsylvania, and went from

Southern Injiany is a goodly country. 'Tis all land around here, for

the Mississippi River, across

ou? What's your callin'? Tell me

h and teach and cobble. I came here now to as

e woods. Well, I believe such as you mean well-let's be charitable; we haven't long to live in this troublesome world. I'm fryin' doughnuts; am just waitin' for the fat to heat. Hope you didn't think that I was wastin' time, standin' there at the door? I'll give you some doughnuts as soo

tmosphere of order and neatness. Over the fire swung an immense iron crane, and on the

-board, a rolling-pin, and a large sheet of dough which had been rolled in

this mornin'; it's a sure sign. You said that you are goin' to Rock I

de, or runner, who can speak English and interpret. I'm going to teach a

ie, I'm told, and then I've heard he wasn't. Now he's chief of the Sacs and Foxes. I saw him once at a camp-meetin'. His face is black as that pot and these h

. Linc

, but Tom he is shiftless, and he's bringin' up that great tall boy Abe to be lazy, too. That boy is good to his m

acter, and character is e

im? His cousin, Dennis Hanks, says there's so

n, do you bel

people whose two fists are full of wor

an to cut the thin layer of dough with a

doughnuts," she said, "seein'

he who is willing to serve that rules, and they who deny themselves the most receive the most from Hea

shucks, nor nothin'. He's like his father, his head in the air. Somethin' don't come of nothin' in thi

l have a pair of shoes. I have my own last. I'll get it for you, and then you can be peggin' away, so

e fat was hot by this time-

d to sew shoes, wax and all. Now I will go to fryin' my doughnuts, and you and I c

widower? Well, that ain't noth

iver and came here. There was only one other family in these parts at that time. That was folks by the name of Eastman. They had a likely smart boy by the name of Polk-Polk Eastman. He grew up and became lones

horse for the journey. I rode on a kind of a second saddle behind Polk, and we started off as happy as prairie plovers. A blue sky was over the timber, and the bushes were all alive with birds, and there were little flowers runnin'

e couldn't ford it. There had been spring freshets. It was an evenin' in April. There was a large moon, and the weather was mild a

k said he. 'We'll have to go

a horn along with us. He gave a piercin' blast,

ed, and the elder came out and stood there

called. 'Hallo!

d Polk. 'Comin' to be married-married

Can't be done. Who be

man-Polk Eastma

t-Olive Pratt-Ol

y where you be, and

outing at the t

t there man, over there on the

d back, '

that there woman, over there

'Yes, elder, that

he minister, 'join

ok it; and the horse, seein' his advantage, went

me now, and I'll make a record of it, and my wife

ive's W

timber. The full moon hung in the clear sky over the river, and seemed to lay on the water like a sparkling boat. I was happy then. On our journey h

until husband died of a fever. I'm a middlin' good woman. I go to all the meetin's round, and wake 'em up. I've got a powerful

om Kentucky when Abraham was fourteen years of age, and he made his home with the Lincolns for four years, when he went to Illinois, and was enthused by the wonders of prairie farming. It

d cradled together. When we returned from the field, he would snatch a piece of cor

iences many times. He was not interested in the old story, but he took a keen delight in obs

ave in Germany any stories like that. I hardly know what my people would say to

anks. "Why, that ain't nowhere to it.-Now, Aunt Injiany, you wait, an

John crossed his legs and bent forward his long whiskers, stre

it. I'm goin' to tell the el

er disputed wi

aid he, and the ba

t a wife. Men ought not to live alone anywhere. They can not out here. Well, well, the timber is full of wild turkeys, especially in the fall of the year, but they a

her mouth like a shell, and

nd neither had seen the other. Well, well, one shiny autumn mornin' each of them took in to their heads to go out turkey-huntin', and curiously enough each started along th

hollow place in the timber, put up her han

ber, though he was almost a mile away, a

y, said she. 'I wish I

id he. 'I wish I had some on

lowly toward the other,

fallin', and the trees were all yellow and red, and the air put

ed again, Nancy and Albert. Na

, sure,' s

, sure,' s

rd a little, and stop

each began to hide behind the thicket,

for a husband and one for a wife, and each for a good fat turkey, when what s

Qu

omewhere, and each became more stealthy a

her-so-and each thought there was a turkey within shootin'

raised her gun into position, still hiding in the tangle. Albert di

nd that it must be the turkey in the tangle. She put her f

Qu

mber,' thought she, 'and he is watchi

e command from the tree-top came. Each thought it would be

ed-berry bushes, and peeked cautiously thro

Yes, it

nd his heart sunk like a stone within him. W

been seen, and catamounts, and prairie wolves, but a bonnet! He drew

Qu

ischarged at that turkey in the tree, and it came

ard it. Albert

ourn,' s

urn,' sai

oked at

pretty, and Albert he looked

Albert, 'it kind o'

he. 'Come over to my cabin and I'll co

and the prairie was all a-glitter with frost, and the sky was all pleasant-like, and y

unker, "very! I never read a nov

wiry boy came

a man spends his time porin' over books, of which there is no end, neither shall he eat, or somethin' like that-now don't it, elder?-But seein' it's you, Ab

ant and tossed it into the fat. It swelled up to enormous proportions, and wh

pan full of twisted doughnuts. You said that you were goin' t

my Indian missions. When I come this way again, I shall be likely to bring w