Best Lincoln stories, tersely toldGallaher, J. E. (James Ernst)
History
Best Lincoln stories, tersely told
Gallaher, J. E. (James Ernst)
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Anecdotes
“Abe” Lincoln was always ready and willing to help any one. Once he was
in a spelling match at school when the word “defied” had been given out
by the teacher. It had been misspelled several times when it came the
turn of a girl friend of Lincoln’s to spell. The pupils were arranged
on opposite sides of the room and “Abe” was watching his friend as she
struggled with the spelling. She began d-e-f, and stopped, being unable
to decide whether to proceed with an i or a y. Happening to look up, she
caught sight of Abe, who was grinning. He pointed with his index finger
to his eye. The hint was quickly understood, the word was spelled with an
i and it went through all right.
LINCOLN AS A NOTION PEDDLER.
In March, 1830, the Lincoln family moved from Gentryville, Indiana,
to near Decatur, Illinois, their household goods being packed in a
wagon drawn by four oxen driven by “Abe.” The winter previous Lincoln
had worked in a country store in Gentryville and before undertaking
the journey he invested all the money he had, some thirty dollars, in
notions, such as needles, pins, thread, buttons and other domestic
necessities. These he sold to families along the route and made a profit
of about one hundred per cent. This shows he had a mind for seizing hold
of opportunities for making money even when young.
LINCOLN SAVED FROM DROWNING.
The life of Lincoln during the time the family lived in Kentucky appears
to have been entirely uneventful. He helped his mother--after he was 3
years old--in the simple household duties, went to the district school,
and played with the children of the neighborhood. The only one of young
Lincoln’s playmates now living is an old man nearly 100 years old named
Austin Gollaher, whose mind is bright and clear, and who never tires
of telling of the days Lincoln and he “were little tikes and played
together.” This old man, who yet lives in the log house in which he has
always lived, a few miles from the old Lincoln place, tells entertaining
stories about the President’s boyhood.
Mr. Gollaher says that they were together more than the other boys in
school, that he became fond of his little friend, and he believed that
Abe thought a great deal of him.
In speaking of various events of minor importance in their boyhood days
Mr. Gollaher remarked: “I once saved Lincoln’s life.” Upon being urged to
tell of the occurrence he thus related it: “We had been going to school
together one year; but the next year we had no school, because there were
so few scholars to attend, there being only about twenty in the school
the year before.
“Consequently Abe and I had not much to do; but, as we did not go to
school and our mothers were strict with us, we did not get to see each
other very often. One Sunday morning my mother waked me up early, saying
she was going to see Mrs. Lincoln, and that I could go along. Glad of the
chance, I was soon dressed and ready to go. After my mother and I got
there Abe and I played all through the day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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