The National tribune., 1899-12-07

respond favorably TO an application for
money" After he was elected to the Legis-
| lature.' says Mr.. Smoot, 'he came to my
house one day in company with Hugh
Armstrong. Says he, 'Smoot, did you vote
| for me?' told him did. Well says he,
! you must loan me money to buy suitable
clothing, for l want to make decent ap-
pearance in the Legislature. l then
loaned him $500, which he returned to me
| according to promise"
CHAMPION OF GoosENEST PRAIRIE.
About this period Abraham paid visit
to his father, who. yielding to fresh vag-
rant impulse, had transferred his family
from Macon to place near Goosenest
Prairie, in Coles County. While there,
Abraham had been compelled to try his
strength with the champion of the region
Mr.. Lamon thus describes their meeting:
Scarcely had Are reached Coles County,
when he received a visit from a famous
wrestler, one Daniel Needham, who re-
garded him as a growing rival, and haG q
fancy to try fall or two with him. He con-
sdered himself the best man in the country,
and the report of Abe's achievements filled
his big breast with enviouS pains. His
greeting was friendly and hearty, but his
challenge was rough and peremptory
Abe valued his popularity among the boys
too highly to decline it. and met him by
public appointment i'll the greenwood at
olUb, Wlefe ilt tilltW Iim lWlCc
with so much ease that Needham's pride
was more hurt than his body. Lincoln
said he, you have thrown me twice, but
you can't whip me-. 'Needham,' replied
Abe. are you satisfied that l can throw
you? If you are not, and must be con-
WINGED through a thrashing, will do that,
too, for your sake. Needham had hoped
that the youngster would shrink from a
fight with the acknowledged bully of the
patch; but finding him willing, and at the
same time magnanimOusly inclined to
whip him solely for his own good, he con-
would be the reverse of soothing to his feel
ingS, and therefore surrendered the field
with such grace as he could command"
THE FIRST MEETING BETWEEN LIN
COLIN AND RICHARD YATES.
Lincoln's old friend, w. G. Greene, tolls
us that while ne was student at the Illinois
College at Jacksonville, he became ac-
quainted with Richard Yates, also stu
dent On one occasion, while Yates was
a guest OF Grcene's during vacation, the
latter tool, him up to Salem to make him
acquainted with Lincoln. They found
Abe flat OF his back on a cellar-door, read
ing a newspaper. Greene introduced the
two, and thus the acquaintance began be-
tween the future War Governor of Illinois
and the future President.
LINCOLN UPSETS HIS BREAD AND MILK.
On this same occasion. says Mr.. Greene,
Lincoln accepted an invitation to go home
and take dinner with him and Yates.
While they were at the table, Lincoln, in
his awkwardness, managed to upset his
bowl of bread and milk. Mr.. Greene well
recollects "the confusion with which the
accident covered Mr.. Lincoln, which Mrs.
Greene, the hostess, who was always
attached TO the ungainly backwoodsman,
tried to relieve as best she could by declar-
ing it was her fault in setting the bowl at
the wrong place on the table,"
A sToRY-TELLER BY NATURE.
Lincoln was from boyhood an adept at
expedients for avoiding any unpleasant
predicament, and "one of his modes of
getting rid to troublesome friends, as well
as troublesome enemies, was by telling
story. He began these tactics early in
life, and he grew to be wonderfully adept in
them. II a man broached subject which
he did not wish to discuss, he told a story
which changed the direction of the con-
versation. II he was called upon to answer
a question, he answered it by telling story.
He had a story for everything; something
had occurred at some place where he used
to live that illustrated every possible phase
of every possible subject with which he
might have connection" He acquired the
habit of storytelling naturally, as we learn
from the following statement: AT home,
with his Gtepmother and the children, he
was the most agreeable fellow in the world
He was always ready to do everything for
everybody. When he was not doing some
special act of kindness, he told stories or
cracked jokes He was as full of his yarns
in Indiana as ever he was in Illinois. Den
mis- Hanks was a clever hand at the same
business, and so was old Tom Lincoln"
"HONEST ABE"
Tt was while Lincoln was salesman for
Offutt that he acquired the sobriquet Of