One of his early friends says that Abe was accustomed to come in from the field after his day's labor, go to the cupboard and snatch a piece of corn-bread and sit down, literally upon his shoulder-blades, with his feet upon the mantel. In this position he would remain, absorbed in his book, until it became too dark to see, when he would crouch down by the fire and take advantage of its unsteady light. Inasmuch as writing materials were so costly as to be beyond his reach, he was accustomed to write upon strips of pineboard with charred sticks, and when the board was full would shave it down until he had a clean surface again.

It was early his ambition to become a public speaker, and he not only practiced constantly on his friends. whenever he could secure an audience, but he seized every opportunity to listen to speeches. In those days, the courts were literally circuit courts, the judge and lawyers riding on horseback from one county-seat to another, where they spent a number of days or weeks trying cases. There was a great deal of oratorical display on the part of the lawyers, who made use of much bombastic eloquence in the trial of the petty cases which came up before the Court.

Young Lincoln generally managed to attend court regularly, when it was in session, and was deeply interested in its proceedings. He would arise early in the morning," do the chores," and walk to Booneville, the county-seat, which was located seventeen miles away, returning in season to do up the evening's work. He once listened with eager interest to a speech made by John A. Breckenridge, and was so impressed with it that he ventured to congratulate

the lawyer at the close of the session. After he became President, he told Mr. Breckenridge that it was listening to his speech that first inspired him with the determination to become a lawyer.

When his parents were away to church Sundays he used to take the Bible and select a text, from which he would preach a sermon to his sister and other children who happened along. His sermons may have been somewhat faulty from a doctrinal point of view, but they were entertaining. He always felt a deep compassion for any person or animal in suffering, and was exceedingly bitter in his denunciation of cruelty to animals. "One day, a boy caught a land-terrapin, brought it to the place where Abe was preaching, threw it against the tree and crushed the shell. It quivered all over and seemed to be suffering much. Abe then made a really effective speech against cruelty to animals, contending that an ant's life was as sweet to it as ours to us."

This habit of speech-making soon developed into a great nuisance, for it distracted the attention of the men who were ready to stop work at any time to hear him speak. His speeches were simple and crude, but contained many sharp points, and were illustrated with numerous stories which kept his audience in roars of laughter. Oftentimes his father was compelled to interrupt the incipient orator by the use of force, and he was dragged from his rude rostrum and hustled off to work with no gentle hand. He was not discouraged by these setbacks and difficulties, but persisted in his practice until he became recognized as a promising orator.

He commenced early to write compositions, and

soon gained a considerable rural repute by having several articles published in the country newspapers. One of his earliest efforts was an essay upon “Cruelty to Animals," which was published and was considered a marvellous production by his friends. He generally wrote with a humorous vein, and frequently directed his jokes against the failings of his friends. He was specially inclined to rhythmical composition, and possessed a rude talent in stringing together pointed couplets. Upon the page of one of his copy-books, among numerous other poetical effusions, appears the suggestive couplet :

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'Tis Abraham Lincoln holds the pen,

He will be good, but God knows when."

He wrote several long poetical productions of a satirical character, introducing broad jokes and "takeoffs" which would hardly grace a printed page. At one time there was a double wedding in the Gentry family, the leading family of the community. He was not invited, and felt the slight keenly. He was possessed of too combative a disposition to quietly put up with what he deemed to be an insult, and determined to avenge himself in poetic measures. He wrote a cutting satire, in which the members of the offending family figured as prominent characters. It was a bold, audacious thing, and created a great deal of excitement in the neighborhood, being highly applauded by his friends. The victims of the joke were highly incensed, and one of the younger members of the family challenged him to fight. He accepted the challenge, and the fight took place. Instead of fighting in person, however, he substituted his stepbrother in his place, who was badly whipped. Young

Lincoln stepped into the ring, and swinging his long arms around his head, dared any one to attack him. But his strength and prowess were too well known, and he proudly left the field with his honor vindicated as the champion of the neighborhood.

His agility and strength were remarkable, and no one in the vicinity could throw him in a wrestling match. He is said to have been able to carry a load which three men could hardly lift, and he once picked up a hen-house weighing over six hundred pounds and carried it a considerable distance. At another time, seeing a number of men preparing sticks upon which to lift some heavy timbers, he shouldered the timbers and easily carried them to their destination. "He could strike with a maul," says Mr. Wood, "a heavier blow than any other man. He could sink an axe deeper into the wood than any other man I ever saw."

He enjoyed being upon the water, and more than once sought to obtain employment upon the river boats. In his leisure moments he built a small flatboat, which he used for short excursions up and down the river. While at work upon it one day, he was approached by a couple of gentlemen, who requested him to put their baggage upon a steamer which was passing down the river. For this he was paid a dollar in silver, the first dollar he had ever earned. While President, he related the story to Mr. Seward and remarked: "I could scarcely believe my eyes when I received the money. You may think it was a very little thing, and in these days it seems to me a trifle, but it was the most important incident in my life. I could scarcely credit that I, a poor boy, had

earned a dollar in less than a day-that by earnest work I had earned a dollar. The world seemed wider and fairer before me, I was a more hopeful and confident being from that time."

In March, 1828, he went to work for Mr. Gentry, who lived near by. Shortly afterwards, his employer fitted out a scow to be laden with corn, bacon and other country produce, which was to be taken down the river, and disposed of at the towns along the route. He put Abe in command of the little craft, who, in company with a young man somewhat older than himself, made the trip successfully and conducted the business to the entire satisfaction of his employer. They were accustomed to drift with the current by day, and tie up to the shore by night. One night, a number of negroes boarded the craft intent upon plunder. The young men were awakened and attacked the intruders so vigorously, that four of them were knocked into the river and the rest took to flight. But Lincoln, not content with a partial victory, leaped from the boat and pursued the marauders, with so much vigor that he overtook them and gave them a severe thrashing. It was the first and last time that Lincoln lifted his hands against any representatives of the colored race.

It was his first trip out into the world and the broad river, with its numerous steamers filled with passengers, and the villages and cities along the shores, gave him many hints of a broader life than any he was acquainted with, as well as much food for reflection. It is probable, that, on this trip, he came into actual contact with slavery for the first time and saw something of the unnatural suffering and degra