Daily Republican., 1883-06-23
SALLY BUSH.
LINCOLN'h STEP.MOTHER. !.

lock in the magnificent primeyal forest
of Southern Indiana, few miles from
the Ohio river, stood the small, nnhev
talt.tinished and most forlOrn lOg-cafln
of Thomas Lincoln. The father OF the
President was an idle. shiftless, worth
less carpenter, who had taken up land
in the Wilderness and lived by half-cul-
tivating few acres and shooting the
wild turkeys, the deer and other game
with which the region teemed. The oc-
cupants OF the cabin were himself, hi.
wife, whose maiden name was Nancy
hanks, and two children, Nancy, eleven
ypals of age, and Abraham, the future
President, nine.
suppose there never was more
beautiful country than this part 81 In
diana, as it was before the settlers dis
figured it Imagine an undulatlng
country covered with trees ofthe largest
ze, oaks, beeches, naples, walnuts,
without that intertanglrd mass OF un-
deryrowth which we fnd in the pri-
meval forests Of the Eastern States.
This land had probably been, within
a few centuries, a prairie. The 1o"es'
had gained upon the grass, bit, mere
and there, there was small portion OF
the original prairie left, which, besides
furnishing good pasture, gave to the
region the aspect ofan ancient, heavily.
wooded park, the result of labor, wealth
and taste expended for ages. Upon
some of these Oases OF emerald, the deer
found salt springs to which they re-
sorted in great numbers on the wider
expanses, the buttaloes had recently
fed on others, the arriving pioneer
had fixed his camp and built his cabin.
The knoll on which Thomas Lincoln
had placed his house was free from
trees, and soped gently away on every
side. The spot had every charm and
every advantage except one there was
no good water within mile, and it fell
to the lot of these children to bring from
that distance the water required for
drinking.
Carpenter as he was, Thomas Lin
coin had not taken the trouble either
to finish or to furnish his house. 1t had
7 no floor, no door, no windows There
were three or four three legged stools Ia
the house.. and no other seats. Tht
table was broad slab supported by fou'
legs, with the fiat side upwards. There
: was bed-stead made of poles stuck il
the cracks of the logs in one corner o
the cabin, the other ends being support
ed by forked sticks sunk in the eartheu
. floor. On these poles some boards were
laid, upou which was thrown cover
ing of leaves, and these in turn were
covered with skins and old clothes. Fol
cooking utensils the family possessed
Dutch oven and a skillet. There was /
loft in the upper part of the cabin but
as this shiftess pioneer had not madt
either stairs or ladder, little Abe was
obliged to climb to his perch at nigh
by pegs driven into the logs.
The children were no better cared fol
than the house. They reill-clad, ill
fed, untaught and harshly treated. Tht
father, naturally disposed to Incidence
found it so easy to subsist in that ricE
country by his rifle, with which he wa.
extremely expert, and from his patel
of corn and potatoes, which his wifi
and children cultivated, that he gave
way to his natural disposition, anC
passed his time, when he was not hunt
ing, in telling stories to his neighbors
He was The great story-teller of th'
county, a character in much request OF
the frontier in the early days.
Some readers have doubtless visitet
the richly wooded parks of Germany
France or England, where the game i
carefully preserved, where droves o
clean, glistening black pigs and grea
herds of deer are seen, and where, a
YOU walk along, there is heard at ever
, step the rustic of a startled hare, AM
y where broods of partridgesaret tollowin
Y their mother in search of food, as tam
e as chickens. Now, II was as easy 70
c the settler to subsiSt his family in thi
)! Indiana forest, as it would be for one c
" the huntsmen to live in a great park,
he could shoot as much game as b
liked. Thomas Lincoln, therefor, bt
ing such man as he was, destitute {
= ambition either for himself or his chi
dren, took life very easily, and any on
acquainted with the family would hav
u furetold for Abraham no higher destin
than that of Il squatter on the frontier
or tiat-boat hand on the rivers.
A terrible and mysterious epidemi
y swept over that country, called th
} milk disease, ,One of the numerous NAL;
dies caused by the settlers total di
regard OF sanitary conditions. One (
. the victims was Nancy Lincoln, tn
: wife of Thomas and mother Of Abr;
i. ham. The husband, who had been he
only nurse and only physician, W;
now her undertaken also. He save
and hammered some green boards int
. a long box. The few neighbors, abol
twenty in all, carried and followed hi
remains to little eminence half a mi
away, and there they buried her in tt
virgin soil of the wilderness.
There was no ceremony performed ;
her funeral, because there was no or
competent to perform it. Some month
after, when rowing preacher can
along Thomas Lincoln induced him
- preach funeral sermon for his wifi
and thus this omission was made goot
Thirteen months passed. The widowe
who was not disposed to he both tatht
and mother to his children, started to
!. his native Kentucky in quest of wifi
b and there he found Sally Bush, who ha
IL once rejected his suit, had married h
IT, rival Johnstone, and was now wido
y with three children He called upo
a, her, and proposed, without beatin
+, about the bush.
{. Well, Miss Johnstone.' sal
:, Thomas, 81 have no wife, and you hay
i, no husband. | came purpose to MARI
A. you. l knowed you from a gal, an
. YOU knowed me from boy. | have i
Y time to lose, and if you are willing, Il
~ it be done straight oft.
n "Tommy, was her reply, 81 kno
ID you well, and have no objection
,h marrying you; but cannot do
straight off, as owe some debts tn;
must first be paid" The ceremGn.
however, took place on the followir
morning, the debts having been paid
the meantime, and very speedily IL
married pair and all the goods which IL
widow had possessed were placed upo
| wagon, and drawn by four horses,
Journey of some days, to Thomas Lii
coin cabin, Indiana. These goods wei
g of considerable value. There was bl
reau which had cost forty dollars, an
wb;rb rVhomas considered sinfully ma,