The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-02-28
The Story Lincoln Did Not Write.

INO interesting dleCuOleS Oh LIN
coins early life are given in recent
issue of McClure's Magazine by Miss
Ida Tarbell. The first is related in an
interview with Austin Golaher, once
Lincoln's playmate, now an old man
of ninety, who has passed all his long
life near the birthplace of his famous
| friend.
lone Sunday" MIR, Golaher says,
my mother visited the Lincoln e.
ana | was taken along. Abe and
played around all day. Finally We
concluded to cross the creek to hunt
for some cartridges that young Lincoln
was swollen by recent rain, and
while crossing on the narrow Tooth
Abe fell in. Neither of us could
swim. | got long pole and held it
out to Abe, who grabbed it. Then |
pulled him ashore.
- He was almost dead, and | was
badly scared. | rolled and pounded
him in good earnest. Then | got him
by the arms and shook him, the water
meanwhile pouring out of his mouth.
BY this means | succeeded in bringing
him to, and he was soon all right.
Then new dithculty confronted us.
If our mothers discovered our wet
clothes, they would whip us. This
we dreaded from experience, and de
termined to avoid. 1t was June, the
sun was very warm, and we soon dried
our clothing by spreading it on the |
rocks above us. We promised never
to tell the story, and | never mentioned |
the incident until after Lincoln 8 |
tragic end.
Abraham Lincoln had a sister.
Her name was SalIie, and she was a
very pretty girl. She went to school
when she could, which was not often.
Yes, if you must know. Sallie Lincoln
was my sweetheart She was about
my age. | loved her, and claimed her
as boys do. | suppose that was one
reason for my warm regard Cor Abe
When the Lincoln family moved to
Indiana | was prevented by circum-
stances from bidding goodb by to either
If the children. And l never saw
mem again"
So Salie Lincoln did not wed her
,oyish admirer. She grew up l
handsome young woman, married in I
lue time Aaron Grigsby, and died t
within year of her wedding. Lin c
DIN himself, by his own account, did t
ot escape at least one extremely early t
ancy of romantic nature. !
Did you ever write out story in S
our mind:" he once asked abruptly y
{ friend. Il did, when | was a (
title codger. One day wagon, with n
lady and two girls and man, broke ii
own near us, and while they were c
king up they cooked in our kitchen. -
he woman had books and read us
.ories, and they were the first | ever
ad heard. h
Il took great fancy to one of the Ia
iris; and when they werc gone | d
fought of her a great deal, and one
iy when ! was sitting out in the sun :
7 the house | thought out a story in
y mind. | thought | took my fathers
)rse and followed the wagon, and
lally | found it, and they were sur
Used to see me.
i talked with the girl, and persuaded
n to elope with me; and that night
put her on my horse and we started
across the prairie. After several
urs we came to a camp; and when
d left few hours before, and we
mt in.
The next night we tried again,
d the same thing happened-the
rise came back to the same place:
q then we concluded that we ought
to elope. | stayed until | had
rsuaded her father to give her TO me.
lways meant to write that story out
/ publish it. and | began once; but
oncluded it was not much of a
ry. / think that was the beginning
love with me. "
The Little codger." if he ever ac- =
lily tried his hand at fiction, evil
lily inclined to the romantic school;
his curious Juvenile romance never
nd its way into print, and the adj
ture-since he neither wrote the
ry nor saw the little girl again
ed as naturally and inconclusively
the most realistic modern novel.