Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-12-22

way to Springfield. The little lad was
I'm his fourth year that summer. He
slept and talked much on the way and
kept Samson busy with queries about
the sky and the creeks and the great
flowery meadows.
They camped the first night In
belt Of timber and Samson writes that
the boy "slept snug against me with
! his head on my arm. He went to sleep
crying for his mother" He adds:
1T reminded me Of the old days of
my young fatherhood. mfr. Nimble'
wanted to pick all the flowers and
splash his bare feet in every stream.
In the evening he would talk to the
stars as II he were playing with them.
He is like some of the grown folks in
Chicago. He would sit hanging on to
the reins, and talk to the horse and
to God by the hour. He used to tell
me that God was friend of his and
think he was right. 1t was good
luck to get back to Sarah and the
children. They took the little stran-
ger into their hearts. Heart room,
house room is the motto of this part
| Of the country"
1t was new town to which Samson
returned. The governor and the state
officers had moved to Springfield, The
new capitol was nearing completion.
The hard times which had followed
the. downfall of 81 had unjustly dim
inished Mr.. Lincoln's confidence in his
ability as a legislator. He enjoyed
the practice of the law which had be-
gun to turn his. interest from the at
fairs Of state But the pot Of political
science. boiled before the fireplace in
the rear of Joshua Speeds store every,
evening that Lincoln and his associ-,
ates were in Springfield. The wit and
wisdom which bubbled into its vapors.
and the heat that surrounded # were
the talk Of the town. Many came
to witness the process and presently
It was moved. for time, to more
accommodating quarters BEIGE
crowd of people in. the Preshv' s~,:.sn
church. Lincoln, Logan, Baker and
Browning for the Wings, and Douglas.
Calhoun, Lamborn and Thomas for
the Democrats, having assiduousiy
| prepared for the trial. debated the.
burning issues Of the time. The effort
OF each filled an evening and Lincoln's
speech gave him new hope of himself.
Wise men began to have great conf
dence in his future. He had taken
the style Of Webster for his model.
He no longer used the broad humor.
which had characterized his efforts on
the stump. A study of the best
speeches Of the great New Englander
had made him question its value In
a public address. Dignity, clear rea-'
soning and impressiveness were the
chief aims of his new, method, the lat
! ter, Of which is APPLY illustrated by
this passage from his speech in reply
to Douglas in the debate mentioned:
| eff l ever feel tine soul within me
elevate and expand to those dimen-
| sions not wholly unworthy of its Al
| mighty Architect it is when con-
template the cause Of my country de-
| serted by all the world besides. and
standing up boldly and alone and
| hurting defiance at her victorious OPP
pressors. Here without contemplating
| consequences before high heaven and
| in the face of the world l swear eter-
| nal fidelity to the just cause. as L
deem it, of the land of my life, my.
liberty and my love-" 8 sf5 /. h.
| In these perfervid utterances one
! 2v,.4
spirit seeking to express itself and
lacking as vet the refinement of taste
equal to his undertaking. He was;
no heaven.boln genius "sprung in full
| panopfy from the head of Jove." He
| was just one of the slow, common
| folk, with passion for justice and
human rights, slowly feeling his way.
upward His spirit was growing,
Strong in its love and knowledge Of.
common men and of the things neces-
sary to their welfare, it was beginning
to seek and know "the divine power
Of words. Every moment of leisure
he gave to the study of Webster and
Burke and Byron and Shakespeare and
Burns. He had begun to study the
art of Irving and Walter Scott and Of
a new writer Of the name of Dickens.
There; were four men who slept with
him In the room above Speeds store,
and one of them has told how he used
to lie sprawled on the floor, with his
pillow and candle, reading long after
the others had gone to sleep. Samson
writes that he never knew a man who
understood the art Of using minutes as
he. did. A detached minute was to
him a thing to be filled with value.
Yet there were few men so deeply in
love with fun. He loved to laugh at
a storytelling and to match his hu-
NOR with Thompson Campbell fa-
nous raconteur--and, to- play with
children Fun was. as necessary to
him as; sleep. He searched for It In
people and in books. 4 4.
| He came often to Samson's house
TO play with "Mr. Nimble" and to talk
with Joe. Some Of his best thoughts
| came when he was talking with Joe
i and some Z Of his nnerriest moments