When John McNeil was alone with Ann Rutledge a few moments later, he said: "What did I tell you, Ann? I like Abe Lincoln all right, but I believe he is one of the worst sinners in this county. Why even those Wolf Creek rowdies that tried to break up the meeting believe in hell." "Folks don't see things the same way," Ann asserted thoughtfully. "No--I suppose you'd call Abe Lincoln a saint." Ann made no answer. She seemed just then to hear a bruised and helpless child saying: "God come, and His name's Abe Lincoln." CHAPTER XIII A BUSY SINNER While Peter Cartwright was laboring with every honest ounce of energy in his energetic soul and body to get his fellow-men safely aboard the old ship of Zion, Abe Lincoln was finding diversions from the regular routine of store work, in kind as different as whipping a bully and feeding a baby. The bully happened into the store one afternoon while Abe Lincoln was waiting on a couple of ladies. He had not seen the stranger before, and greeted him with his usual salutation, "Howdy, partner--come in." It was soon evident that the stranger was on no friendly mission. Hardly was he inside the store than he began to talk abusively and to deliver himself of an abundance of profanity. Leaning over the counter Lincoln called the man's attention to the fact that there were ladies present. The man continued his abuse and swearing. Again Abe Lincoln spoke to him, this time saying in positive terms that no swearing was allowed when ladies were in the store. The reply to this remark was worse swearing. Abe Lincoln said nothing more until the ladies were gone. Then he walked out from behind the counter and looked the stranger over. "There's some sort of folks who can't listen to reason," he remarked. "Them kind has to have the daylights whaled out of them. What you need, partner, and what you are goin' to get is a spankin'." This seemed to be what the stranger had desired. Pushing out his chest he stepped before Lincoln and told him to come on. "Let's move out onto the face of the earth," Lincoln said. "I don't want to tear up the crockery and kick the molasses over." When they were out at the side of the store and while the big bully was yet telling what he was going to do, he was seized suddenly, thrown to the ground and rolled over a couple of times. Then the tall man grabbed a handful of smart-weeds and rubbed it in the eyes of the profane stranger until he bellowed like a bull. A crowd had collected to discover what the row was about, among them John McNeil. When Lincoln had extracted a promise from his visitor that he would keep his swearing for men only, he let him up, and, taking him by the arm, led him back to the store-steps and seated him. He then brought water, bathed the eyes of the subdued stranger, and shook hands with him.