Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-03

over by blowing. I got s1.25 an acre for it. ]
borrowed five yokes of oxen of my father
and went to breaking up land for the neigh
bors. We plowed a furrow about eighteen
inches wide and hitched from four to five
Jokes Of oxen to the plow. We fastened the
pillow to wheels and set it for the proper
depth. I walked outside and yelled at the
team. 1t Is not an easy matter to drive
oxen, l can tell you, and a great deal Of the
lung power which l have today was, l venture,
developed then"
by the way" the senator continued, with
a twinkle in his eye, "a rather queer thing
happened in connection with that blowing,
You know they talked a little of me for presi-
dent four years ago, and some Of my old
friends in Illinois thought / had a chance for
the white house. One of these was a farmer
for whom l had broken land in my boyhood.
He wrote to me, recalling the circumstance
He said he had a print Of my bare foot, which
had made at that time, in a clayey strip on
his land. He said he had cut 1t out and
kept 1t and that he was going to frame it as
the foot Of a president"
He must have been one of the grand
fathers Of pu Maurier's Billie, and history is
only repeating itself in the craze over the
foot Of Trilby," said l, as / looked at the
good, comfortable understandings Of Mr..
Cullom. And did you pillow in your bare feet,
senator?"
Yes, l suppose So" replied Mr.. Cullom.
w did a great deal of farm work in our
paTe ieet III carry u6yS. III was more COM
Portable than working with shoes, though
now and then one was liable to raise a stone
bruise or snag off a toe nail against a root"
SCHOOLBOY STRUGGLES.
Where did you go to school, senator?" |
asked.
1T was at a seminary at Mount Morris
in northern Illinois," replied Senator Cul-
lon, There was a big Methodist ~institu-
tlon there at that time, and it was considered
a very good school. l studied Latin and
Greek and other things, but before got
through l fell sick. This was within three
months Of the close of my term. / thought
| was going to die, and l wanted to go
home. They persuaded me to stay, how
ever, and give the valedictory."
Then, suppose you were at the head OF
your class, senator?"
Yes" replied Mr.. Cullom. 81 managed to
keep pretty close to the top"
What did you do next?"
81 came home" was the reply. mo one
thought / would live. | was as lean as a
rail and pale as a sheet of white paper.
had an ambition to be a lawyer when
started to the seminary, but my sickness
led me to give this up. and go back to the
farm. Ten days after I got home | was In
the harvest field. l soon grew better, and
by fall ! had rented a quarter-section of LAND
from my father and was putting it in crops
Az winter came on | grew restless. l TOLD
my father he could have his land again, and
oN''6 w W SNhh
law"
ABRAHAM LINCoLN'S BOY FRIEND.
"You studied there with Abraham Lincoln
did you not?"
mo" replied Senator Cullom. 81 did no
study in the office Of Mr.. Lincoln. A grea
deal of his work was on the circuit, and h
spent but little time in his office. l hat
known him since | was a boy of IL, an,
he was already my ideal hero. When ] wen
to Springfield | asked him IL ! had not bette
study law with him, but he advised me to &
into the office of a lawyer who would be sta
tionary. He gave me lots of good points
however, apd l was closely associated wit
him from that time on"
How did you like the law?" | asked.
81 liked II very WE'LL" replied the sena
tor, and | would not object to practicin
now, | did not get 10 be a lawyer withou
considerable trouble. A few months after
took up the study l began to get sick agar
| had an attack of typhoid fever and hun
for some time between life and death. tn
doctors told me that the only thing tina
could save me was to buy a pony and ride I
the open air. | then went back home an
tried the pony cure. But il was no goot
l had no object in my rides, and | could nc
gain strength.
BUYING HOGS ON COMMISSION.
This was the situation when | went I
Peoria one day. 1t was then, as II is now
quite a hog market. | met one Of the cap
~talists, and he asked me IL | would like /
buy hogs for them. He offered to pay me l
cents a hog, the farmers to keep the hog
until, they were wanted and to be paid IN