The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-18

anu, e0lYinR the Dig Duly by the tNfOnt 0n0
holding him out at arms length. shook him ~
he would boy. These "Clary Boys" by the
way. wore af,erward among Iancolns
warmest admirers. and helped to elect
him q Captain OF volunteers in the Black
Hawk war. There used TO be legend current
that washinaton could outjump any man in
Virginia and there seems TO be no doubt that
in all athletic sports Lincoln had no edual IN
illinois, According to the recollection OF sur
vivtne comrade. Tho could strike the hardest
blow with axe or maui. lump higher and fur
ther. run faster than any Of his fellows. and
there vus no ono far or nsar could lay him ON
his back" wo hnvc no wish to force parallel.
neither can we zee any reason for emitting to
notice another suggestive coincidence. 1t will
be remembered that Washington got his living
by surveying before he became an ofacsr In tho
colonial militia and It Ia a fact that Lincoln
practised surveying for some time after his re-
paoval to Illinois. Apropos OF his accuracy
which somebody defines ~ tho prose OF hon
esty. IL ia remembered that be wns much sought
after 10 fix disputed boundaries OF FARMS
He ACQUIRED very early that nickname Of
" Honest Abe" which stuck to him all his life.
1t was while he was acting a. clerk OF eoun-
try store Several incidents illustrate an in
tegrity to which. II seems, his customers could
not have been habituated. One evening he
which we fonr sometimes excites n chuckle--
and. after porting over the phenomenon. con-
cluded that In making change for his last Gus
TONER an old woman who had come in iittle
before shutdown. re had given her too little,
Although the sum involved was only a few
centa. ho forthwith took Il to her house. Al
another time he found on the scales weight
which he remembered using lust before
closing the store on tho previous nisht. but
which WIS Nyhtar than the one no mesnt
to use Evidently no must have given n pur-
chaser a few ounces of tea less than had been
paid for and he Immediately sent tho quantity
needed to make M the deficiency. He carried
the Same scrupulous probity into his MANAGE
ment of q small Post Office of which he had
charge for short period IN 1874 and his meth
cd OF dealing with an uncalisd. for remnant of
the funds on deposit may interest the Office
holders OF a later time. 1t seems that when the
station was diseont inued the small sum Of SIS
remaining in his hands was overlooked. and
not demanded until some years inter- Lincoln
had removed to Springfield to at;empt
the practice OF the law. During those
years he had been 30 Door that he
had often boon compelled 20 borrow a
pittance from friends to pay for the bare
necessaries OF life. When, therefore. an agent
OF tho Post ONCE called at ono DIR. Nepry's in
whose office Lincoln had a desk Henry bo
ljeyipc $50 he told the biorrapher, That Lincoln
could have no money on hand wberewith 10
meet the draft was about to call him inside and
advance the sum renuisite. when Lincoln. ask
ing the agent TO be seatsd n momen mt vent over
to his boarding house and brought hack an old
stocking with n quantity of conner ana silver
coin tied IN In II. manifestly the identical
pieces I'm which tho country people had paid
their posiage Tho agent found in the stock
cent.
The local popularity epioycd by I.ineoln--on
one occasion when n candidate for tho Isris-
laturo he received every vote. and always ran
far nhead of the other names upon the ticket
seems the morn extraordinary when we lenrn
that he Ind none Of the small yicos 10 which
froptiersmen 8re especially addicted that lie
neither smoked. drank nor gambled and TINT
no was long so very moor ns to be unite unobls
to offer the smallest pecuniary fayors. But the
truth Ia that Lincoln was I'm the bomsly and
conventional. as well as in the truest and
highest sense n good fellow. His sympathics
we're quick and deep. his tact intuitiye. and
genial instinct moved him to make his society
rs pleasant rs he could. His originality showed
itself at all times and In little things. and n
quaint humor seemed to pervade every gesture
and every expression of his face. His way
of looking at persons or incidents would s,arts
or divert and his fund of amusing and apt
stories was literally inexhaustible. for the rea-
son, apparently, that he improvised most OF
them to cap the OCCASION As might have been
expected, also, from man whose sense of hui
NOR was at once keen and kindly. his sympa-
thies were quick and deep. and he would lapse
at times into profound melancholy, though his
genuine unseflshness would never permit him
10 infect others with his own depression. OF
II
are cited in this biography While Lincoln was
serving as Captain In the Black Hawk war nm
old and aIf-starving Indian strayci into the
camp Of his company, all Of whose members
were exasperated by tho barbari,ies lntely per-
petrated on the settlers. and some of whom, like
Lincoln himself. had lost near relatives Mt the
hands of the savages In frenzy Of blind
rage the soldiers refused to recognize the In
dams safe conduct" and had cooked their
muskets. determined to despatch him. when
Lincoln rushed forward. knocked up tho pieces,