Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 1 (of 2)Herndon, William Henry
History
Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 1 (of 2)
Herndon, William Henry
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
itself in the young lady's ankle, inflicting a wound from which there
came a generous effusion of blood. With sundry pieces of cloth torn from
Abe's shirt and the young lady's dress, the flow of blood was stanched,
and the wound rudely bound up. The girl's cries having lessened
somewhat, her tall companion, looking at her in blank astonishment,
knowing what an in-fraction the whole thing was of her mother's
oft-repeated instructions, asked; "'Tilda, what are you going to tell
mother about getting hurt?" "Tell her I did it with the axe," she
sobbed. "That will be the truth, won't it?" To which last inquiry Abe
manfully responded,
"Yes, that's the truth, but it's not all the truth. Tell the whole
truth,'Tilda, and trust your good mother for the rest."
This incident was, many years afterward, related to me by'Tilda, who was
then the mother of a devoted and interesting family herself.
Hazel Dorsey was Abe's first teacher in Indiana. He held forth a mile
and a half from the Lincoln farm. The school-house was built of round
logs, and was just high enough for a man to stand erect under the loft.
The floor was of split logs, or what were called puncheons. The chimney
was made of poles and clay; and the windows were made by cutting out
parts of two logs, placing pieces of split boards a proper distance
apart, and over the aperture thus formed pasting pieces of greased
paper to admit light. At school Abe evinced ability enough to gain him a
prominent place in the respect of the teacher and the affections of his
fellow-scholars.*
* "He always appeared to be very quiet during playtime; never
was rude; seemed to have a liking for solitude; was the one
chosen in almost every case to adjust difficulties between
boys of his age and size, and when appealed to, his decision
was an end of the trouble. He was also rather noted for
keeping his clothes clean longer than any of the others, and
although considered a boy of courage, had few, if any,
difficulties."--E. R. Burba, letter, March 31, 1866.
Elements of leadership in him seem to have manifested themselves
already. Nathaniel Grigsby--whose brother, Aaron, afterwards married
Abe's sister, Sarah--attended the same school. He certifies to Abe's
proficiency and worth in glowing terms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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