The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-03

set In to help him; | didn't know much, but
did the best I could"
"What books did he read frst?"
"Webster's speller. When | got him through
that only had a copy of Indiana statutes. Then
he got hold of book can't rikkolect the name;
maybe you kin if tell you somethin ct was
in it. It told a yarn about Teller, niger or
suthin', that sailed fatboat up to a rock, and
the rock was magnetzed and drawed the nails
out of his boat. and he got duckin' or drowned,
or suthin'. | forgot now"
"That is the story of Snbad, in the Arabian
Nights"
"That's it; that's the book. Abe would lay on
the floor with chair under his head and laugh
over them Rabian Nights by the hour. told
him it was likely lies from end to end, but he
learned to read right well in it."
Had he any other books?
"Yes, / borrowed for him the Life of Wash
ington' and the Speeches Of Henry Clay They
had powerful influence him. He told me
afterwards, in the White House. he wanted to
live like Washington. His speeches show that;
but the other book did the most amazing work.
He was Democrat like his father and all of
US. when he began to read it. When he closed
1t he was Wing, heart and soul, and he went
step by step till he became leader of the Re-
publicans."
meditated a moment here on the old mans
story. Was ever anything so strange, so sug
gestive? This rude backwoOdsman blindly had
turned with cheap book the current of the
mightiest life in modern times What sand-blind
creatures I'VE are How we juggle with destiny.
How God uses u.s. with bandaged eyes, to work
out His high behests When Hanks laid that
Wing book in that boys hand he builded better
than he knew He laid the first stone in the base
course of the structure this boy was destined
to build and baptize with his own blood What
would history be now, had he grown up IN
learned by this volume? 1t makes one muse
hushed in thought.
"Will you describe him when boy?"
SWELL he was at this time not grown. only
6 feet inches high He was feet Az when
grown-tall lathy and gangling-nOt much APP
pearance, not handsome not ugly, but peculiar.
This kind of Teller: If a man rode up horse
back, Abe would be the first out up on the
fence asking questions till his father would give
him knock side o. his head; then he'd go
and throw at snowbirds or suthin', but ponderin'
all the WHILE
"Was he active and strong?"
"He was that. | was ten years older. but
couldn't rasse him down. His legs was too long
for me to throw him. He would fling one foot
upon my shoulder and make swing corners
swift and his arms so long and strong! My!
how he could chop His ak would fash and bite
into sugar tree sycamore and down 1t
would come. If you heard him fallin' trees In a
cearin' you would say there was three men at
work by the way trees fell But he never was
sassy or quarrelsome. I've seen him walk into a
crowd Of sawin' rowdies, and tell some drole
yarn, and bust them all up. 1t was the same
when he was lawyer; all eyes, whenever he
rz were on him; there was a suthin' peculiar
some about him.
"What did you teach him to write within
Sometimes he would write with a piece of
charcoal or the pint Of a burnt stick on the