Year: 1868


the river; a near neighbor's boy, who
undertook to rival him in speed, al
though without standing up, was un-
fortunately thrown from his horse and
killed


y y X y * ,s


When Ulysses was in his twelfth
/ year, he was very small for his age.
At that time l had taken the contract
to brild the jail in Brown county.
The prison was to be Of logs hewu a
foot square and fourteen feet long.
These had to be hauled about two
miles from the woods where they we're
cut, TO the site Of the Jail. | gener-
ally worked small, or medium sized
horses, but l happened to have one
very large one. A neighbor had one
about the same size, and Ulysses was
so anxious that | should buy him that
he said to me one day, "Fathcr, il
you will buy that horse I will drive
team until all the logs are hauled. !"
| agreed to do it. but without any
idea that he could possibly hold out
to work the team over a week-he
was such little bit Of fellow.
even hired another man to work the
team and told him to go along with
Ulysses; what he was hired for. The
man accompanied him for a number
Of days, wlen he camo 10 me and
said ,'There Is no use in my going
with that boy any longer. be under.
stands the team and can manage u as
we'll as can and better too. There s
no use in my following him round"
Que day, after hauling a load ,
Ulysses took the team out, aud said
to me: ....... ....


"The men are not in the woods
hewiug to-day, and there is no need
of my going back this afternoon as l
can keep up with their hcwing to.
morrow; and there is nobody to help
me load"


Nobody there 10 help you load p
said l. "Why, how did you load
this morning."


"Oh, Dave and I loaded he said.
Dave was the name of the big
horse ] had bought.


"You and Dave loaded! What do
you mtan?' said 1, for | considered
il absolutely impossible that child
of his size should have got such i'm
meuse logs into the wagon without
help.


"Yes,n said he. "Dave and
loaded. l took chain aud hitched
on to the end of the logs, and we
managed to get them in"


He then explained how it was done.
A large sugar tree had been felled,
so that it lay aslant, one end resting
on the ground and the other elevated.
lie had hitohed the horse, Dave. to
the end of a hewn log, aud hauled it
up on to this sugar tree, the end pro.
jecting over far enough to back the
wagon under it. Three made load;
when he got three hauled up in this
way, he backed the hind end of the
wagon up under them, and hitching
the powerful horse in front, by means
Of long chain, which extended over
the whole length of the wagon body,
pulled them one at time into the
wagon. This was much talked of in
the neighberhood, as it was consider.
ed a great achievement for boy of
his age. lie worked the whole seven
months aud until the job was finished,
hauling those logs, aud other mate
rial for the building, with the exccp.
ton of siugle week That week
sent him to Louisville. 1t was noe
essary for me to have a deposition
taken there, to be used in law suit
in which | was engaged in the State
of Connecticut. | had written more
than once about it to my lawyer but
could not get the business done. 81
can do it," said Ulysses. So set
him on the errand alone. Before he
started | gave him an open letter that
he might show the captain of the
boat, or any one else, il he should
have occasion, stating that he was my
son and was going to Louisville on
my business. Going down he hap
pened to meet a neighbor with whom
he was acquainted; SO he had no oc-
casion to use the letter. But when
he came on board boat to return
homc the captain asked him who he
was. He told him, but the captain
answered: 81 cannot take you. You
may be running away" Ulysses ther
produced my letter, which put things
right; and the captain not only treat
ed him with great Kindness, but tool
so much interest in him as to invit,
him to go as far as Maysville will
him, where he had relatives living
free Of expense.