The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-09-15

THE Lord has given us a new SON..
! have lived through the ordeal
thanks to His goodness-and am strong
again. The coming OF the baby has
reconciled liz to the loss Of our old
friends as much US anything could.
It has made this little home dear to
us and proved the quality Of U new
friends. Nothing is too much for them
to do. I don't wonder that Abe Lin
coin has so much confidence In the
people OF this country. They are
sound at heart, both the northerners
and the southerners. Harry Needles
II getting over his. disappointment. He
goes down to the store often to sit
with Abe and Jack Kelso and hear
them talk. He and Samson are get
ting deeply Interested in politics. Abe
let's Harry read the books that he Dor
rows from Major Stuart of Springfield.
The boy Is bent on being a lawyer and
improving his mind. BIN Kelso writes
to her mother that she is very hap
py In her new home but there is some
thing between the lines which seems
to indicate that she Is trying to put
a good face on a bad matter. Abe
has been appointed postmaster. Ev-
cry time he leaves the store he takes
the letters in his hat and delivers them
as he gets a chance. We have named
the new baby Samuel"
One evening, Of that summer, Abe
came out to the Traylors' with q let
ter in his hat for Sarah.
flows business?" Samson asked.
"Going to peter out, 1 reckon" Abe
answered with q sorrowful look. 1T
will leave me badly in debt. I want
ed something that would give me q
chance for study and I got 1t. BY
jung! It looks as II / was going to
have years Of study trying to get over
1t. Have you got any work to give
me7 You know I can split rails about
as fast as the next man and I'll take
my pay in wheat or corn" 'os
"You may give me all the time you
can spend outside the store" said
Samson.
That evening they had a talk about
the whisky business and it's relation to
the character of Eliphalet Biggs and
to sundry infractions Of law and order
in their community. Samson had de-
clared that it was wrong to sell
liquor. r.
"All that kind of thing can be safe
~ left to the common sense Of our
people," said Abe. "The remedy is
education, not revolution. Slowly the
people will have to set down all the
items in the ledger of common sense
that passes from sire to son.. BY and
by some generation will strike a bal
ance. That may not come in a hun
dred years. Soon or late the major
ity Of the people will reach a reckon
ing with John 5Barleycorn. II there's
too much against him they will act.
You might as well try to stop q gla-
cier by building a dam in front Of it.
They have opened an account with
slavery, too. By and by they'll de-
eide its fate"
Such was his faith in the common
folk Of America whose way Of learn
ing and whose love OF the right he
knew as no man has known 1t. ~
In this connection the New Eng
lander wrote in his diary:
"He has spent his boyhood In the
South and his young manhood In the
North. He has studied the East and
lived in the West. He is the people
/ sometimes think-and about as slow
to make up his mind. As Isaiah says:
He does not judge after the sight Of
his eyes neither reprove after the hear
ing of his ears Abe has to think
about It." !
In April Abe wrote another address
to the voters announcing that he was
again a candidate for a seat in the
legislature. Late that month Harry
walked with him to Pappsville where
a crowd had assembled to attend q
public sale. At one place there were
men in the crowd who knew Harry's
record in the war. They called on
him for a speech. He spoke IN the
need of the means of transportation
in Sangamon county with such insight.
and dignity and convincing candor
that both Abe and the audience hailed
him as a coming nan Abe and he
were often e together those days.
In New Salem they were called the
disappointed lovers. It was known
there that Abe was very fond Of Ann
R%utledge, although he had not, as yet,
openly confessed to any dne-not even
to Ann-there being no show Of hope
for him. Ann was deeply In love with.
John McNeil-the genial, handsome
and successful young Irishman. The
affair had reached the stage Of frank
ness, Of an open discussion Of plans,
Of fond affection expressing itself In
caresses quite Indifferent to ridicule.
For Ann 1t had been like warm sun
light on the growing rose. She was
heater in dress, l0velier In form and
color, more graceful ID movement and
sweeter-yoiced than ever she had been.
It is the old way that Nature has Of
preparing the young to come out upon
the stage Of real life and to act In Its
moving scenes. Abe manfully gave
them his best wishes and when he
spoke Of Ann it was done very ten
,derly. The look Of sadness, which all
had noted In his moments Of abstrac-
ton, deepened and often covered his.
face with its veil. That Ii another
way that Nature has Of preparing the
young. For these the roses have fallen
and only the thorns remain. They