The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-04-05

Eyes, reckon he did. 1t was sur
prise to him and to me- too, because
when man is as honest as Abe wa,
it stands in his way sometimes. HI
never looked to be q great man, but
he did want to find out things. Denny.
he'd say, the things 1 want to know
are all in books. My best friend il
the man who will get me book
He could jist lay men in the shade
with his stories. and l thought mebbt
that woman in the book who always
had a story fur every occasion had
something to do with it. l asked him
once where he got holt of SO blamed
many lies, and he said: Every story
that has meaning isn't a lie, Denny.
God tells truths in parallels His
stories were like them. He'd fire one
O. them into a jury and set every man
a-cryin', but he wouldn't defend a man
unless he believed him innocent. He
throwed up good case onct because
he found out the man was guilty.
That's the reason they called him
Honest Abe
He wanted to know 80 many things
that when a man would stop at their
house Tom would go out and say:
Light, StrangerP' the way it was po-
lite to do. Abe, he'd come Looping out
on his long legs, throw one over the
rail fence. and begin askin' questions.
Then Tom'd tell him to quit. and
by'n by he'd have to bang him at the
side of the head to git him to stop.
Then Abe, he'd go off spell ant. fire
sticks at the snow birds a-whistlin'.
Pap thinks it amt polite to ask ques-
lions. Well, l reckin 1 wasn't born to
be polite He'd play jokes on the peo-
pie, too, and the old man went on to tell
how once Abe got all the young 'uns.
dipped their feet in the mud, then
turned 'em upside down. and walked
all over the ceiling, them a-scre aiming
with laughter, and Sairy came in. 1t
was SO funny; she jist sot down and
laughed, though she said Abe ought to
be spanked. He whitewashed the cell
ing for her whittier than ever. He jist
used to make the neighborhood howl
with his yarns. and bet he made up
every one of 'em.
He started little crossroads store
near here and all the county people
would lounge around that store to hear
him joke. When the Biack-H
war broke up he was made Captain.
Then he went to the Legislature and
studied law and went to Congress.
After he got started there wasn't no
stopin' him"
Mrs. Bowling brought OFT a photo
graph of the five generations in regu-
lar descent. There are between
sixty and seventy of fathers descend
ants near here. This house was built
in 1874 and was one of the first brick
houses in this county"
The old man had dropped asleep
again and his daughter. a woman of
sixty-nine years. talked to me softly
so as not to disturb him.
Grandmother Lincoln, that's Abe's
stepmother, thought a heap Of Abe.
When he was elected President he
came over here to say goodbye before
going to Washington. and she kissed
him and cried and said: Abraham, /
know you will never come back
something says they will kill you
He said, kind O. sad like: Nanny,
don't be uneasy; I'll come back all
right But Mary says that Abe
thought himself he never would; and
then you know he really saw his
shadow in the looking-glass before he
was shot"
Mrs. Bowling left the room just
then, and the shutting of the door
awakened old Dennis from his nap.
Come here" he whispered, mystic
riously.
If you won't tell anybody I'll show
you something" He pulled from an
inside pocket heavy. old-fashioned
coin-silver watch hanging to steel
chain. The chasing on the case was
was worn almost smooth.
"Abe gimme that after he went to
Washington. / went down there to
see him, and thar he was with big
gold watch and chain hangin' all over
his vest, and l mmenced to tease
him about bein' so fine. and he says:
Dennis, bet you'd carry a watch if
you had one. You needn't be so envi-
ous-' Then he went and bought this
for me and wanted me to have gold
chain, but / wouldn't, so he got me
this good steel chain, and I've carried it
ever since. I've been offered five hun
dred dollars for it, but no money can
buy it. Thar amt many people even
gets to see it, l can tell you" He
slowed it back carefully in the hidden
pocket and went on with many a droll
expression and merry laugh:
When l went down to Washington
to see him it was about a neighbor
that had got into trouble. The folks
here sent me to speak to Abe about
him. 1t was during the war, and thar
was lots O. soldiers around the White
House stickin' their guns in every
body's face l went to a door-thar's
only one, though looked round fur
back door, thinking to sneak in. A
porter stopped me, and asked as
smart: Who do you want to see?
81 want to see Abe Lincoln
1 says.
You can't see him this time O.
day." he says as smart
"'You bet kim" answered him.
".He's not goin' back on Dennis
HANKS his cousin and the HOY, hoe