Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-11-10
krew and loved him.

in September, Bowlin Green was going
around the pasture to put his fence In
repoir. when he came upon young Mr..
Lincoln. The latter sat in the shade
Of tree on the hillside. He looked
terribly peaked" as Uncle Bowlin
has said in letter.
"Why, Abe, where have you been?"
he asked. 'The whole village is
scared. Samson Traylor was here last
night lookin' for ye.'
"I'm like deer that's been hurt, "
said the young man. II took to the
woods. Wanted to be alone. You see,
l had a lot of thinking to do-the kind
Of thinking that every man must do
for himself. I've got the brush cleared
away, at last, so can see through.
lad made up my mind to go down to
your house for the night and was try
ing to decide whether have energy
enough to do it."
"Con. on: it's only short STEP.
urged the big-hearted BOwlin.
"What feel the need Of. just now.
is q week or two Of Sleep" said Mr..
lincoln. as lie rose and started down
the long hill with his friend.
S:sne lioe later Buwlin Green gave
Samson this brief account Of what
happened in ard about tile cabin:
He wouldn't eat anything He
wanted to go down to the river for q
dip. and went with him. When we
got back, I induced him to take off his
clothes and get into bed. He was fast
asleep in ten minutes. When night
came Went up tile ladder to led. He
was Still asleep when came down in
he morning. / went out and did my
chores. Then . l cut two venison
steaks. each about the size O my hand,
and a half moon of bacon. pounded
the veniSon to pulp with a little salt
anu bacon mixed in. put it on the
brO.ier and o-er bed o hickory Goals.
got the coffee into the pot and up
next to The fire and some potatoes III
;he ashes. Il hasled bird with bacon
str.ps and. put it into tile rooster AMI
set it back o the broiIing bed. Then
l made some biscuits and put 'em
into the oven. l tel you, in little
While the smell o. that fireplace would
have woke the dead-honest! Abe
began to stir. In minute l heard
him call:
Say. Uncle Bowlin, I'm goin' to
get up an eat you out O. house and
home. I'm hungry and l feel like a
new man. What time is it?'
It'll be nine o'clock by the time
you're washed and dressed says.
".Well, declare, says he, I've had
about sixteen hours O. solid sleep. Tie
world looks better to me this morn
Ing
AT the table told him story and
got little laugh out of him. He
stayed with me three weeks, chorng
around the place and taking it easy.
He read all the books had, until you
and Doc Allen came with the law
books Then he pitched into them. ]
think he has changed good deal since
Ann died. He talks a lot about God
and the hereafter
In October young Mr.. Lincoln re-
turned to his surveying, and in the
last month of the year to Vandalia for
an extra session of the legislature,
where he took stand against the con-
vention system of nominating candi-
dates for public Office. Samson went
TO Vandalia for visit with him and
to. see the place before the session end
ed. The next year, in a letter to his
brother, he says:
"Vandalia is small. crude village.
It has q strong flavor of whisky, pro-
family and tobacco. The night after
I got there went to banquet with
Abe Lincoln. Heard q lot about the
dam nigger-loving Yankees who were
trying to ruin the state and country
with abolition. There were some
stories like those we used to hear in
the lumber camp, and no end of pow
erful talk, in which the names of God
and the Savior were roughly handled.
A few Of the statesmen got drunk, and
after the dinner was over two of item
jumped on the table and danced down
the whole length Of 1t, shatterins
plates and cups and saucers and
glasses. Nobody seemed to. be able
to stop them. l hear that they had to
pay several hundred dollars for the
damage done. You will be apt to think
that there is too much liberty here in
the West, and perhaps that is so, but
the fact is these men are not half so
bad as they seem to be. LINCOLN tells
me that they are honest. almost to a
man, and sincerely devoted to the pub
lie good as they see it. asked Abe
LINCOLN, who all his life has associated
with rough-tongued, drinking men,
how he managed to hold his own
course and keep his talk and habits so
clean.
CONTINUED Next Weekly