The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-04-13


far western state OF Illinois. The
ensuing five years, 1881 to 1886, COW
er one OF the most interesting per-
iods of Lincoln's early life, when he
learned the lessons Of owe and
death, and TO rise aDove the bitter
ness Of despair 1t was during tEis
period that Mrs Lyster, then Wen
ma Cameron, knew him, received
at his hands the odd nickname or
"Quinine" and became quiet OBJ
server of his courtsnip of her beau
tiful cousin, Ann Rutledge.
Lincoln at cameron's.
One Of the foremost men of the
New Salem neighborhood was the
Rev. John Cameron, Mrs. LISTERS
father. He preached in the Presby-
terrain church on Sundays, and, af-
ter the custom of those sturdy times,
turned a shrswd eye to business dur
ing the week. He 1t was, indeed,
who, with his fathers brother, the
James Rutledge mentioned by his
torians in connection with this lus-
trum of Lincoln's life, laid out the
town-site of New Salem.
At the time of Lincolns advent IN
New Salem 'Parson" Cameron with
his wife and family, eleven daugh-
tiers and one son, had his home in a
log house a few miles from town on
the banks Oh the Sagamon, close to
the Rutledge and Cameron mill,
which combined the business of
saving timber and grinding grist.
The mill, on a dam that jutted out
a few hundred feet in to the river,
was one Of the last landmarks Of the
locality to crumble away. Lincoln
for a short time was in charge of it.
Mrs. Lyster does not recall the.
day that Lincoln first came to her
fathers house to board, but believes
that it was in the winter or spring
of 1888 "Llncoln was a great, big
fellow them" says Mrs. Lyster, "full
to the chin with fun and always
playing droll pranks on us girls.
He was clerk in Denton Offutt's
store when he came to u.s.. and my
mother charged him one dollar a.
week for his bed and board"
The "us girls" referred to by Mrs.
Lyster, were eleven in number (rein-
forced by one brother) and a right
merry crowd for log cabin home it
may be guessed. In the order of
their ages they We're: Betsy Gamer
~, ,,iolypanood sgIcoIalla Inv 7 inooln
Vienna, whom the future president
preferred to address as "Quinine";
perhaps because at seventeen she
could find a sharp thrust to answer
his teasing; Thomas, lone brother
in wilderness of girls, called Tam
O'Shanter" by Lincoln; and Nancy,
Jane, Martha, Sarah, Salina and So
rena (the twins), Eliza Caroline mad
A Five-Mile Trudge.
Lincoln walked five miles daily be-
tween his store a nd his boarding
house and did it for months, striding
from 'Parson'' Cameron's log cabin
in the early mornings to Denton Or
futt's general store, and back again
at dusk He loved exercise in the
open, he was proud of his physical
strength and great powers of endur-
ance. Mrs. Lyster remembers abe"
steadily, but unhurriedly
home" giant shoulders dropped,
shaggy head bent and eyes glued to
the pages of a grammar which he
held up we'll as he walked.
Awaiting him at the long tramp's
end were the friends, who, in &C
cepting the one dollar week board
had taken him and made him one
of themselves. Lincoln, or Abe, as
we one and all soon came to call
him, was a member of the family as
long as he stayed with u.s." Mrs.
Lyster says. ITO him my mother
was Aunt Polly" fact borne out
by historians, though the maager lit
erature dealing with this period Of
Lincoln's life speaks but incidental
ly of the Camerons.
Lincoln" says Mrs. Lyster, re-
calling those rare days, was re-
markable young man for pranks.
He had a nickname for each one Of
US girls but can only remember a
few. One of his tricks was to pluck
his friends by their ears; he was al
ways doing that ! have heard my
father speak of seeing Abe stand
ing at corner or in the road, tell
ing one of his droll stories or en-
gagged in earnest discussion, and, at
the climax in the tale or converse
ton, stretching out one OF his long
arms and gently pulling the listeners
ear instead of plucking the la
pei of his coat. From more than one
of us Cameron girls Abe: caught a
seolding for not leaving our ears
alone.
An Embarrassing Scene.
"One of the jokes he played ON us
I remember well. Bill Green was
one of the beaux of the neighborhood
and there were none too many to
go round. We Camerons could take
care of eleven, ourselves. you know.
Betsy was the Oldest of US and Bill