Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-17
R pare Stories ST Great cZNen.

I7NO produce litte-known but authentic anec-
II dotes of Abraham Lincoln is no easy task,
but it is that any student of American bio
graphy may undertake with delight.
The man who said in popular magazine not
long ago, Il read with avidity every line can
lind connected with the name of Lincoln" repre-
sents large and growing class of the American
public. Throughout his useful life Lincoln stood
so near to the masses and had their interests so
thoroughly at heart that every reminiscence of the
great Emancipation is welcome to the public ear,
and the constituency reached and touched by tales
OF Lincoln grows larger yearly.
SO many men still live who in personal
contact with him that the crop of anecdotes of
Lincoln is perennial. Many of them are never told
twice the same way and it Is to be feared that the
lapse of time has brought imagination into play
IN the case of some aged raconteurs Be it ours
to combine authenticity with interest in the re-
production of few incidents in the life which
meant so much to the Union and met martyrdom
in its cause.
HOW HE EARNED HIS FIRST DOLLAR
We are told on the best authority that in the
presence OF goodly company of statesmen includ-
ing Secretary Seward, Mr.. Lincoln himself related
! the story of his first earnings
The President Said Seward YOU never heard
did you, how earned my first doar?" mo-" re-
! Joined Mr.. Seward "Well," said Mr.. Lincoln, II
belonged, you know to what they call down
chiefly by my labor, sufficient produce, as
thought to justify me in taking it down the river
/ to sell.
After much persuasion, 1 got the consent of
my mother to go, and constructed a small fat
boat, large enough to take barrel or two of
things that we had gathered, with myself and
little bundle, down to the Southern market
steamer was coming down the river. We have
you know, no wharves on the Western streams;
and the custom was, if passengers were at any of
the landings, for them to go out in boat, the
steamer stopping and taking them board.
II was contemplating my new fatboat 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?' I answered
lof them, take us and trunks out to the
steamer? Certainly said l. I was very glad to
have the chance of earning something. / sup
posed that each of them would give two
three bits. The trunks were put on my fatboat
he passengers seated themselves on the trunks
hnd l sculled them out to the steamboat.
"They got on board, and lifted up their heavy
runks, and put them deck. The steamer
about to put steam again, when I called out
THAT they had forgotten to pay me. Each of them
Xtook from his pocket a silver half dollar, and
8threw it on the floor of my boat l could scarcely
Ebelieve my eyes I picked up the money
Gentlemen you may think it was a very little
Ething and in these days it seems to me trifie;
3but it was a most important incident in my life.
kearned dollar in less than a day-that by
5honest work I had earned a dollar. The world
Nseemed wider and fairer before me- was more
8hopeful and confident being from that time"
,,x,cor ,oTuER-uow HE LOVED HER