The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-04-19

head with which We we're all familiar. !
couldn't eve begin.
Pretty soon | asked him something
about his debates with Douglas he said
he dldn't like to debate with Douglas, but
he had TO and the stories that we're told
about bis days Of bookkeeping and the
amount Of whiskey that Interested him.
according to the yarns Of the day. He
knew all The stories that were afloat about
him and he was glad 10 tell Of his days Of
rail splitting and stOrskseping, and in teu
minutes he Was the same Lincoln | had
been fortunate enough to come upon among
his cronies the evening before.
When the portrait was finished, after
several sittings. he asked me II was going
away the same evening. and when / said
no he said he would like to bring Mrs. Lincoln
down to see the portrait the neit morning.
lie came with her and brought Tad. who
always looked like Artemus Ward, "a though
he was going to say something funny the
next minute. That said Mrs. Lincoln,
is tho way Mr.. Lincoln looks when he ia
among his friends, | hope she added a
moment later. that he will look as happy
after next November. - II was the year Of
his first nomination.
MIR. Conant's father was a house aud 81 IN
painter and the son used to steal his fathers
colors and daub heads wherever he had
the opportunity. One day he got together
what he could In the way Of cash and prop
erty aud quit home and went to study at
an academy some distance away.
He taught school. He painted head
portraits al S. aI6ece. I'D like TO see some
Of those heads now he said. but not their
owners. for that certainly was swindling.-
He got up to a town in northern New
York, Wandering painters came through
and painted portraits at S25 each and talked
a lot about New York and the National
Academy Of Design, How the young Conant
did want TO come down 10 the city and goto
that academy! One evening a schoolma am,
the daughter OF his landlady, said:
Il hear you want to 20 to the academy
in New York and study down there
We'll, / guess | do he said, in a tone
that left no doubt about his wishes.
The school teacher told him that she had
saved up some money from her teaching
that II was Of no use to her and that he
was welcome 10 il. He took IL and came 10
New York. When the money was gone
he got US far back north as the neiRhbor.
hood Of Troy and began teaching again
aud painting.
Later he went to st. Louis and out there
besides following his art became very
much interested in studying the remains
Of the primitive civilizations Of the Missouri
Valley, He wrote a volume Footprints Of
Vanished Races based upon these studies
and upon personal explorations in the
bayous and the mounds Of the territory
about him.
His work was originally intended only
as part of a voluminous history OF Missouri
done by several writer's, but as his written
reports to the st. Louis Academy Of Sciences
attracted attention both at home and abroad
and we're translated into various foreign
languages It was finally determined to
publish his Footprints a. a separate
book. Besides the 81. Louis Academy
OF Sciences he was made a member of the
American Association for the Advancement
Of Science and the Anthropological Society
Of Washington and a corresponding men,
Der Of the photographic Institute Of Paris.
Later he became a member Of the Authors
Club OF this city,
While working In the bayou country,
where stills were thick and strangers we're
regarded as out Of place, Mr.. Conant was
visited one day by a doctor who asked him
a lot Of questions, all Of which Mr.. Conant
answered without a suspicion Of whittier