Semi=weekly graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1895-1902, 1897-05-08


But Billy has married boy
The girls he had tried on every slde,
But none could he get to agree.
All was in vain He Went home again,
And since that lie IS married to Natty.
So Billy and Eatty agree very well,
And mammals well pleased with the match.
The egg it is laid but Natty's afraid
The shell is so soft it never viii hatch.
But Betsy she said 'You cursed bald head,
My sutton you never can be.
Besides your Ill shape proelaims you an ape
And that never can answer for me"
That these coarse burlesques and ven
omous sallics aroused the Grigsby ire
and eventually made Abe the object on
which their combined fury was spent
goes with the saying. 1t has been CON
tended, and with some show Of truth,
too, that the fight, famous in that local
ity, between John Johnston, Abe's step.
brother, and William Grigsby was the
outgroWth Of these carieatures, and that
Abe forebOre measuring strength with
Grigsby, whom he considered his phys
ical inferior, and selected Johnston to
represent him and fight in his stead
| These crude rhymes and awkward imi-
tations Of ccriptural lore demonstrated
that their author, If assailed, was mer-
CHESS III satire IN after years Lincoln,
/ when driven to do so, could use this
weapon Of minlic1y and ridicule with
telling effect. He knew its power, and
on one occasion, III the rejoinder Of dc
bate, drove his opponent in tears from
the platform.
The Lincoln family left Indiana for
! Illinois in March, 1880, few days aft
er Abe's tweRty-frst birthday. Their
depart are from Gtentfyyillo is remem-
bercd " persons still living there In
accord with the custom Of the day,
James Gently and one or two other
| neighbers accompanied them u short
+ distance the frs day The Journey
across The cou.tr/ Of Ii strangely as
serted househcf - hopeful, hapless
nnmigrants-a - break up Of d severe
winter III t1ir cumbersome wagons;
| gleeful ard sfferycsceHt Dennis Hanks;
dull, shiftless old Thomas Lincoln, who,
after an ownership of IA years, had inst
sold his land ut Il figure much less than
he Id; the dumb, patient oxen, and
las all the tail, muscular youth
who swung the lash over the rear team
have more than ouce been described by
Mr.. Lineom's many biographers The
first night out enc Of the oxen, bought
few days before@f David Turnham,
managed to loosen himself, and before
day wanderd back to his old home Abe
was required to trudge back in search
Of the lost animal, and as predicted,
found him calmly and phiIosophieally
chewing bis cud i'll the old barn lot
with as little show of concern as if he
mad never left it, Seeing Abe enter,
however, he ut once began to manifest
an interest i'll the proceedings, and soon
eyinced Il marked Discrimination to leave
the place.
Turnham, who survived Lincoln many
f years, used to relate the amusing strug-
/ gle between Abe and the bovine and how
at last, after throwing over the latter's
head d sort Of bride the reins of which
he held in one hand, he caught the end
OF the animal $ tail with the other aud
/ leapcd astride his back Shouting to
us to open the gate :" said Turnham,
he started off. OF course old Bob re-
sisted, but Abe, jerking the bride rein
and giving now and then ar additional
twist on his tail the old fellow had to
go. The last we saw eff OK or rider they
| We're going at good rate headed for the
country beyond Pigeon creek, where the
rest OF the party awaited them
The sons Of William Jones, the mer-
chant, III Countrywide, persisted in the
claim that their father sold Thomas Lin
coin small supply Of goods Of the value
OF 500, which he peddled out ut Il fair
profit to people along the way, but such
good business management was so out of
keeping with the nature and methods of
the senior Lincoln it is difficult to ac-
eept the statement as literally true, un.
less we are allowed to divide the ne,
sponsibility Of the transaction with Abe
on some other member ef the party it is
likewise doubtful ii, after meeting his
Obligations, Thomas Lincoln had sur
pins funds enough to make an invest
1nent OF the proportions named.
OF the further incidents Of this ionr.
ney our knowledge is limited. and Mr.
Lincoln himself has added but little 10
the meager store Of facts. Among other
things narrated By him to Herndon was
the story Of little dog belonging to
some member q the party which one
morning fell behind and failed to catch
up till after the wagons had reached
the farther side Of a stream they were
forced ford. \ coat Of ice had formed
on the water during the night. but SC
thin the animal instinetively feared IA
trust his weight on it. Meanwhile he
could be seen running up and down the
bank as it III the greatest distress. Deem
ing it improbable to ford the stream
again to get him, the party decided by
majority vote to go on without him.
But | could nor. said Lincoln, en-
dure the idea Of abandoning even a dog
IN that wilderness. Pulling off any shoes
and seeks, | rolled up my trousers. wad.
ed across III that part of the stream
where the ice had been broken away by
the wagons and Presently returned with
the shlvering animal under my arm. II
was cold job, but the frantic leaps of
joy and other sure evidences of a dogs
gratitude amply repaid me for all the
discomfort and exposure had under
gone.