The Life of Abraham Lincoln for Young People, Told in Words of One SyllablePutnam, Harriet
History
The Life of Abraham Lincoln for Young People, Told in Words of One Syllable
Putnam, Harriet
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Juvenile literature
Though this high post had come to A-bra-ham Lin-coln he did not feel
too proud to do the “sim-ple deeds of kind-ness” which he had done
all through his life. It seems that one day he went out with some
law-mak-ers, for a ride on the prai-ries. He passed a place where a pig
was stuck in the mud. The poor beast looked up at him as if beg-ging
his help. The look plain-ly said that death must soon come un-less the
horse-man gave his aid. Lin-coln was wear-ing his best clothes at that
time. They had been bought with the mon-ey his friend had loaned him. A
new suit could not be his for a long time. And yet, e-ven though gone
past, and at the risk of jeers from his com-rades, he went back, got
off his horse, and pulled the pig out up-on firm land. To be sure there
was mud on his clothes, but his heart was free from re-gret.
[Illustration: A KIND DEED.]
Though A-bra-ham Lin-coln had been ad-mit-ted to the Bar and had
been made a mem-ber of the Leg-is-la-ture, still he went on with his
stud-ies, nev-er let-ting a day go by on which he did not give some
hours to books. These books told a-bout math-e-mat-ics, as-tron-o-my,
rhet-o-ric, lit-er-a-ture, log-ic and oth-er things with hard names.
While at work with chain and tools, tak-ing the length and breadth of
the land, Mr. Lin-coln earned from $12.00 to $15.00 each month. He used
a part of this small sum to pay up an old debt and al-so had to help
his kin from week to week. But he felt he must give up this small sure
mon-ey for the sake of his new start in life, though the gains were by
no means sure to be large. He said he would “take his chance” at the
law.
It was in A-pril, 1837, that Mr. Lin-coln rode in-to Spring-field,
Ill., on a horse a friend had loaned him. A few clothes were all that
he owned, and these he had in a pair of sad-dle bags, strapped on his
horse. He drew up his steed in front of Josh-u-a Speed’s store and went
in.
“I want a room, and must have a bed-stead and some bed-ding. How much
shall I pay?” he asked.
His friend Speed took his slate and count-ed up the price of these
things. They came to $17.00.
“Well,” said A-bra-ham Lin-coln, “I’ve no doubt but that is cheap but
I’ve no mon-ey to pay for them. If you can trust me till Christ-mas,
and I earn an-y-thing at law, I’ll pay you then. If I fail, I fear I
shall nev-er be a-ble to pay you.”
Lin-coln’s face was sad. He had worked hard all his life, had helped
scores of folks, and now, af-ter so man-y years, when he much need-ed
mon-ey, he had none.
The friend-ly store-keep-er tried to cheer the good man. “I can fix
things bet-ter than that,” he said. “I have a large room and a dou-ble
bed up stairs. You are wel-come to share my room and bed with me.”
So A-bra-ham Lin-coln took his sad-dle-bags up stairs, and then came
down with a bright look on his face, and said, “There, I am moved!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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