The National tribune., 1899-11-30
EVERYDAY LIFE OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Continued from first page. }

was an indefatigable preacher. when
father and mother would go to church, Abe
would take down the Bible, read verse,
give out a hymn, and we would sing. Abe
was about Is years of age. He preached
and we would do the crying. Sometimes
he would join in the chorus OF tears. one
day my brother. John Johnson. caught a
land terrapin. brought il to the place where
Abe was preaching. threw it against the
tree. and crushed the shell. 1t suffered
much. quivered all over. Abe then preached
against cruelty to animals. contending that
an ants life was as sweet 10 it as ours 10
u.s." But this practice of preaching and
political speaking" SAYS Mr.. Lamon, INTO
which Abe had fallen, at length became
a great nuisance. 1t distracted everybody,
and sadly interferred with the work. II
Abe had confined his diScourses to Sunday
preaching. while the old folks We're away,
it would not have been so Objectionable bic.
But he knew his power, and would be sure
to set up as an orator wherever he found the
greatest number of people together. When
it was announced that Abe had taken the
stump in the harvest field, there was an
end of work. The hands flocked around
him, and listened to his curious speeches
with infinite delight. The sight of such a
thing amused us ALL says Abe's step
mother; though she admits that her hus
band was compelled to break it up with g
strong hand; and poor Abe was many
times dragged from the platform and
hustled off to his work in no gentle manner.
LNCoLN'S FIRST DOLLAR.
A story which belongs to this period was
told by Mr.. Lincoln to Mr.. Seward and g
few friends one evening in the Executive
Mansion at Washington. The President
said: Seward, you never heard. did YOU
how | earned my first dollar?" "No," re
joined Mr.. Seward. well" continued Mr.
Lincoln, Il belonged, you know, to wha
they call down South the scrubs We
had succeeded in raising. chiefly by my
labor, sufficient produce. as / thought, Il
justify me in taking it down the river t.
sell. After much persuasion, | got the
consent of mother to go, and constructed 8
little fiatboat, large enough to take barre
or two of things that we had gathered, witt
| myself and the bundle down to the South
ern market. A steamer was coming dowr
| on the Western streams; and the custom
| was, if passengers were at any of the land
ings, for them to go out in boat, the
steamer stopping and taking them on board
| was contemplating my new fiatboat and
wondering whether could make it stronger
or improve it in any particular, when two
men came down to the shore in carriages
with trunks, and looking at the different
boats, singled out mine, and asked: WHO
owns this?' / answered, somewhat
modestly, Il do VIII you,' said one Of
them. take us and our trunks out to the
steamer Certainly said ]. | was very
glad to have the chance of earning some
thing. / supposed that each of them
would give me two or three bits. The
trunks were put on my flatboat the pas
sengers seated themselves on the trunks
and | sculled them out to the steamboat
They got on board, and | lifted up theii
heavy trunks, and put them on deck. The
steamer was about to put on steam again,
when | called out that they had forgotten
to pay me. Each of them took from his
pocket silver half-dollar and threw it OF
the bottom of my boat. ! could scarcely
believe my eyes as | picked up the money
Gentlemen, you may think it was a very
little thing, and in these days it seems to m,
trifle; but it was most important incident
in my life. / could scarcely credit that |
| poor boy, had earned a dollar in less thar
day, that by honest work l had earned 6
dollar. The world seemed wider and faire
| before me. l was more hopeful and con
| fident being from that time"