Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-02-11

possessions, except an old COW, which
Thomas and the son drove along behind.
They crossed into the wilderness of In
diana and drove north into the Indian
land Fifteen miles back from the Ohio,
they found knoll and there they stop
ped and made their home. This ground
is Lincoln City of to-day. Thomas was
n carpenter, and he managed to build a
log cabin. He did not take the trouble,
however, to cut in windows. He
made three three-lcgged stools and a Ia
BILE by turning broad slab. Hat surface
up, and putting in four sticks as legs.
There was bed made by poGing poles
into cracks in the logs, and supporting
the other ends in forkcd sticks. Over
these poles were laid whipsawed boards,
and over these leaves. and then hear and
deer skins and old clothes. This. with
the exception of a Dutch oven and a
skillet, was the entire household equip
ment.
"As he Is remembered here, Thomas
Lincoln was anything but exemplary. He
was lazy to very great degree. and spent
all of his time fishing and hunting. He
only cultivated "a half dozen acres of
land and his wife and children did all of
the work. He was too lazy, or ihdispos-
ed to provide his house with necessities,
and Abe, who slept in the loft, had to
mount to his perch by pegs driven in the
walls, because his father was too shiftless
10 make him a ladder. And with all due
credit to Nancy Hanks, it must be adj
mitted that she was little better than the
father They ruled their children by
harsh methods, they were not cleanly
and they had never cared for better
things Therefore, Abraham, when he
was 9 years of age, had not learned to
read or 'iigger,' and his sister, two years
his senior had not Jared better. 1t was
possibly a good thing for the nation, as
we'll as the boy, that, when he was 5
years old, his mother sckened ana died.
The father and son whip-sawed lumber
and made a crude box into which the
corpse was placed. Twenty settlers gath
cred at the Lincoln cabin and carried the
coffin to a hllock in the virgin forest and
lowered her TO her last resting place.
There was no one present who vas capa-
bic of saying a few words ana that
was deferred for some months, and then
performed by an itinerant preacher.
Woman Who Made His Character.
Thomas had been a widower thirteen
months, when he took notion to go over
10 kentucky and see the folks where he
had lived. There he found a widow,
Sally Bush Johnston, an old sweetheart
who had married Johnston, his hated
rival. He again proposed and was ac
cepted. Thomas was not only the great
est story teller of his section of southern
Indiana, bat he had poor regard for
the truth, at times and he won his sec
oud wife by exaggerating his estate in
Indiana 10 palatial proportions. Sally
was a woman of sterling qualities. She
had been surrounded with the utensils of
ciyilization--a bureau, clothes chest. n
table. chairs with backs, white table and
bed clothes, knives, forks, and cooking
equipment. Thomas insisted that she sell
these and get the money, telling her he
had all that was necessary. But she saw
different and loaded them into n wagon
and they started for Indiana. When she
arrived at Lincoln City and saw her fu-
lure home she was heartbroken, and
when she saw ill-kempt and ill-fed Abe
and Nancy she cried. Her own three
children were in striking contrast. When
Abe saw the chairs, the knives and forks
and other furniture unioaded, his eyes
stood wide open, for he had never seen
anything ike it before. Sally Bush was
neutral enemy Of all chaos and disorder
She tossed the old dirty household effects
out, msde Thomas cut windows into the
walls and PIT floor in the cabin She
washed the walls and put the ave chill
dren TO cleaning up the premises She
took charge OF Abe and Nancy, and
taught them the first principles of clean
illness and care, and love took the place
of harsh words. and IN treatment. The
great soul OF the awkward. ignorant boy
opened to her and the friendship which
followed filled his whole life. He has
said Of her; She was the woman who
hrs, made me feel Ike a human being
"Sally clothed Abe and Nancy clearly,
AID as well rs her limited finances would
Permit and pat them in school They