The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-06-06
WHOLE NO., 288.

f l.
l had to any extent been involved or
embarrassed by you nor yet to draw
from you anything to relieve myself
from difficulty. Ny only object was to
ussnre You that had not as represented
by The Herald correspondent. charged
you with an attempt to inveigle me in
to Kentucky to do me violence. / be-
ieve no such thing of you or Of Ken
tuckians generally, and I dislike to be
represented to them as slant,, ring them
in that way
During the war Larue county-being
that part of Hardin county in which
Mr.. Lincoln was born--sent Dr. J. f.
Rodman. one of her citizens, to Wash
ington to see the president with view
to having corrected the number of men
demanded from the county under the
requirements Of the draft Not long
after reaching the White House and
sending up his card DR.. Rodman was
admitted, somewhat in advance of his
turn, rs he thought, because several of
those who still fingered in the ante
rooms told him they had been vainly
waiting to see the president for days.
but We're unable to catch even glimpse
Of him. In the course of the conversa-
ton Rodman informed the president
that n number of the citizens of Larue
county had sent with him to be present
ed 20 the president cane made from
timber that grew on the farm on which
the latter was born, but that he had
left it with jeweler in the city with
directions to put gold head with a
suitably engraved inscription on it. On
the following day when the jeweler had
finished his work, he would bring it
over. How will l know" inquired
Mr.. Lincoln, "who the donors of this
acceptable gift are?" Rodman answered
that he supposed the names would be-
engraved on the gold headpiece 'How
foolish of me, y" laughed the president,
"to ask that question. ! am like the
Irishman who called for his mail at the
postoffice and when the postmaster ask
ed his name with true Irish wit an
swered, Faith and me name is on the
letter
DR.. Rodman says the president seem
ed to be in an unusually reminiscent
mood and made frequent inquiries about
the Cessmas, Brownfelds, Friends, Ash
crafts and other prominent Kentucky
families Recalling few meager Incl
dents of his boyhood, he inquired espe
cially after Austin Gollaher, one Of his
playmates who by the ready and skill
full use Of a sycamore branch claimed
to have saved young Abe from drowning
in Knob creek.
How is the old fellow making it
now" playfully inquired the president
"Tell him would rather see him now
than any man living He played me
mean trick once but you can assure him
when you see him that I have long
since forgiven him. 1t was this way:
We We're out in the woods playing one
day and hunting for game. Our most
dangerous weapon was "A hickory club
or stick | had climbed up into tree.
and being more or less tired had braced
myself in the forks Of two limbs to rest,
leaving Austin below. Sitting thus for
some time, I looked down and beheld the
latter stretched ont on the grass appar-
emily asleep Beside him lay his hat,
bottom side nppermost. / remembered
that | had in the pocket of my little
coat hanging from limb overhead IL
|
moments before and which was thor
oughly ripe. Knowing if it fell to the
ground it was black and soft enough to
burst, determined that as Austin was
asleep to drop it into his hat. Reaching
up, withdrew it from my pocket, and,
holding it between my knees to get
, sure aim, let it fall 1t landed in the
very center Of my playmate's hat, and
there was bountiful scattering of
bursted papaw inside and all around
it. In keen expectation Of enjoyment I
J rapidly descended, but when reached
terra firma found that, contrary to my
; suppostion, Austin had not been asleep
} at all and that while l had been ell
gagged in reaching for my coat he had
quickly transposed hats, and instead Of
practicing joke on him / had carefully
defiled my own hat.
The period of Lincoln's boyhood
J spent i'll Indiana is fraught with the
} greatest interest to the student Of his
history, for it was these earlier years OF
his life that had their lasting effect on
the mind and temperament of this great
"mirthful and yet melancholy man.
No better picture Of boys life in the
early days CT the west can be obtained
than the modest bit of autobiography
: furnished by Mr.. Lincoln to Jesse w.
: Fell in 1859. 1t is one Of those purely
| Lincolnian specimens Of terse and Wig
orous English. One seldom finds in lit
: erature or history such concise and yet
: forcible expression. 1--WE reached our
/ new home," he relates referring to the
removal to Indiana, "about the time the
, state came into the Union. 1t was
J wild region, with many bears and other
) wild animals still in the woods. There
grew up There were some schools, SO
: called, but no qualification was ever
, required Of teacher beyond 'readin,
) writin and cipherin' to the rule of
three. II a straggler supposed to under
, stand Latin happened to sojourn in the
neighborhood, he was looked upon as
wizard. There was absolutely nothing
to excite ambition for education. OF
) course when l came of age did not
know much. Still somehow l could
} read, write and cipher to the rule of
! three, but that was all. Ihave not been
] TO school since. The little advance I
now have upon this store Of education l
have ricIod nm frorp ti,o <o tive ,,,,