The Meeker herald., 1922-05-06
CHAPTER XXI.


lItieaI Science Begins Its Sessions
In the Rear Of Joshua Speeds stors.
Also at samson's Firssids Honest
Abe Talks Of the Authority Of the
Law and the Right Of Revolution.
The boy Joe had had 4 golden week
at the home Of the Brimsteads. The
fair Annabel. knowing not the power
that lay In her beauty. had captured
his young heart scarcely fifteen years
Of age. He had no Interest In her
younger sister. Mary. But Annabel.
with her long skirts and full form and
glowing eyes and gentle dignity. had
stirred him to the depths. When he
left he carried q soul heavy with re-
greet and great resolutions. Not that
he had mentioned the matter to her or
to any one. 1t was thing too sacred
for speech. To God, In his prayers.
he spoke Of 1t. but to no other.
He asked to be made and to be
thought worthy. He would have had
the whole world stopped and put to
sleep for term until he was delivered
from the bondage Of his tender youth.
That being impossible. It was for
him sad, but not hopeless world.
Indeed, he rejoiced 10 his sadness. An
mabel was four years older than he.
II he could make her to know the
depth Of his passion, perhaps she
would wait for him. He sought for
self-expressIon in The Household Book
of Poetry-a sorrowful and pious vol
ume. He could find no ladder Of
rhyme with an adequate reach. He
endeavOred to build one. He wrote
melancholy verses and letters. confess
ing his passion, to Annabel, which
she did not encourage. but which she
always kept and valued for their In
genuous and noble ardor. Some Of
these Anacreontics are among the
treasures Inherited BY her descend
ants. They were q matter Of slight
Importance. one would say. but they
mark the beginning Of great career.
Immediately after his return to the
new home In Springfield. the boy.
Josiah, set out to make himself hon.
ored Of his ideal. In the effort he
made himself honored of many. His
eager brain had soon taken the footing
of manhood.
A remarkable school Of political
science had begun Its sessions In the
little Western village Of Springfield.
The world had never seen the like Of
1t. Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A.
Douglas, E. D. Baker. o. H. Browning,
Jesse B. Thomas, and Josiah Lamborn
"a most unusual array Of talent as
subsequent history has proved-were
wont to gather around the fireplace In
the rear of Joshua Speeds store, eve
nings, to discuss the Issues Of the
time. Samson and his son Joe came
often to hear the talk. Douglas looked
like q dwarf among those long-seared
men. He was slight and short, being
only about i've feet tall, but he had
big, round head covered with thick,
straight, dark hair, bulldog look and
a voice like thunder. Douglas and
Lincoln were in heated argument
over the admission Of slavery to the
territories the first night that Samson
and Joe sat down with them.
ave didn't like that little rooster of
a man, he had such high and mighty
way with him and so frankly opposed
the principles we believe In. He was
an out and-out pro-slavery man. He
would have every state free to regu-
late its domestic institutions, in Its
own way, subject only to the Constitu-
ton Of the United States. Lincoln
held that it amounted to saying that
II one man chose to enslave another
no third party shall be allowed to OBJ
ject.'"
In the course Of the argument Doug
las alleged that the Whigs were the
aristocrats Of the country.
'That reminds me Of a night when
1 was speaking at Havana" said Hon.
est Abe. "A man with ruined shirt
and massive gold watch chain got
up and charged that the Wings were
aristocrats. Douglas in his broad
cloth and fine linen reminds me Of
that man. I'm not going to answer
Douglas as 1 answered him. Most of
the Wings I know are my kind Of
folks. was a poor boy working on
a flatboat at eight dollars month
and had only one pair of breeches and
they were buckskin. II you know the
nature Of buckskin. you know that
when It is wet and dried BY the sun 1t
will shrink and my breeches kept
shrinking and deserving the sock area
Of my legs until several inches Of
them were bare above my shoes.
Whilst l was growing longer they
were growing shorter and 30 much
tighter that they left q blue streak
around my legs which can BIZ seen to
this day. II you call that ai,stocracy
I know Of one whis that IL an sristo-
crat"