Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-08

lay on the floor with chair under his head and laugh over them 'Rabian Nights' by the hour. told him it was likely lies from end to end, but he learned to read right well in it.n
 "Had he any other booksa'
 ''Yes. I borrowed for him the Life of Clay.' They had a powerful influence on him. He told me afterward in the White House he wanted to live like Washington. His speeches show that, but the other book did the most amazing work. He was a Dem- oerat, like his father and all of us, when he began to read it. When he closed it he was Whlg, heart and soul, and he went step by step until he became leader of the Republi- cans. D
 'fWil1 you describe him when boya"
 "Well, he was at this time not grown, only six feet two inches high. He was six feet four and one-half inches when grown tall lathy and gangling-not much appear anee, not handsome, not ugly, but peculiar. This kind of fellow: If 8 man rode up horseback Abe would be first out, up on the fence and asking questions till his father would give him knock side O the head; then he'd go throw at snowbirds or suthin', but ponderin' all the while.''
 'sWas he active and strong?"
 "He was that. I was ten years older, but I couldn't rassle him down. His legs were too long for me to throw him. He would fling one foot upon my shoulder and make me swing corners swift, and his arms so long and strongl My, how he would chopl His axe would flash and bite into a sugar tree or sycamore. and down it would come. If you heard him fall in trees in clearin' you would say there were three men at work 5y the way trees fell But he never was sassy o1 quarrelsome. I've seen him walk into crowd of sawin' -owdies, and tell some droIl yarns and bust them all up. It-was the same when he was a lawyer; all eyes whenever he rig was on him; there was suthin' peculiarsome about him. !"
 "What did you teach him to write with2''
 "Sometimes he would write with a piece of charcoal or the pint of burnt stick on the fence or floor. We got little paper at the county town and made ink out of black berry brier root and little copperas in it. It was black, but the copperas would eat the paper after while. l made his first pen out of turkey buzzard feather; them's good for pens. We had no geese them days"
 ''Did he take to books eagerlya"
 ''No; we had to hire him at first. But when he got taste 1t was the old story-we had to pull the sows ears to get her to the trough and pull her tail to get her away. He reak a great deal and had wonderful mem ory-wonderful.
 fsWhat church did Abe attenda''
 sFThe Baptist. I'll tell you a circumstance about him. He would come home from church, and put box in the middle of the cabin floor, and repeat the sermint from text to doxology. I've heard him do it often''
 "Was he a religious mans"
 'FWell, he wasn't in early life religious man. He was a moral man strictly-never went to frolics, never drank liquor, never used tobacco, never swore. But in after life he became more religious, but the Bible puzzled him, especially the miracles. He 1fk 1,, around the fireplace nights, to explain Scripture. He never joined any church or any order"
 'sHow did he fair for food and clothinga"
 "Plenty, as it was-corn dodger, bacon and game, some fish, and wild fruits. I've often seen him take dodger to the field and gnaw at it when ploughing. We had very little wheat flour. The nearest mill was eighteen miles. A boss mill it was, with a plug pullin' sweep around; and Abe used to say his hound could stand and eat the four as fast 1t was made, and then be ready for hls supper. For clothing he had jeans. He was grown before he had all wool pants'
 'tDid you ever visit him in Washington2'
 Certainly There were some folks ar rested in Charleston, and I, for their folks sake, went on durin' the war to get 'em free, for it WAS best. got there and found the White House surrounded with soldiers. I went up to the door to get in and porter stopped me and said, ''Wko do you want to see?' I said, ''Mr. Lincoln" He said, "You can't see him; it aint the time of day yet. :" I said, ssIll show you if I can't. I hain't come here from Illinois for nothin'" He grinned and showed me the door of his of flee Outside was heap of fellers waitin' to git to see the Pres ident. I opened the door kinder soft and at the other end of hit1 Sqt ha af an oJ6 IaSl- If about six bits. 'Heyg hollered; you're a pretty President, ain't your He looked up and said, Well, Dennis, is that your and made run and just gathered inc. When could get able to talk I said, T don't want no offs, Abe.' He said, Most of em do, Den rand, and he said to come up next morning and he would fix it. We talked an hour as friendly ever about long-gone times Then he told me to go down to the house and see Mary-that's his wife. She's dead now, poor soul I knowed they was too highfalutin' down to Mary's for me; so I went to tavern and put up. Next morning went up and Abe had an armload of indictments, and he said: Take these over to Stanton and he'll fix it.. said: Abe, don't know where the pla- geoned place is' So he called a porter standin' by and said: Take these to MT. Stanton Pretty soon MT. Stanton, in a bobtai1 coat, came in. He didn't want to let lem go, but Abe was kind an made him sign. When Stanton went out I said: Abe, if was as big as you are I'd take Stanton over nay knee and spank him. He laughed and said: It is not easy to keep my Cabinet in good humor. left an came home an never saw him again. The next spring he was killed"
 "One more question: Did he get his sense and principle from one parent or botha"
 "Both; his strong will from his father. I'll tell you an incident: His father used to swear little, and one day his baby girl picked up foul oath and was bruisin the bitter morsel in her sweet lips when Nancy called sThomasl' and said: Listen hus- band.' He stopped that habit thar; never swore again. But Abes kindliness, hunaor, love of hum anity, hatred of slavery, all came from her. I am free to say Abe was mothers boy"