Matilda Johnson, his stepsister, was very fond of him, and she often ran away from the house to be with him where he was at work. Lincoln would rather tell her stories than work, so the mother forbade the child from following him to work. But, one morning, she disobeyed and ran after him. She tried to surprise him by jumping up at his back, and catching him by the shoulders. In doing so the axe was swung around so that it severely cut her ankle. Matilda screamed with pain but Lincoln soon had the bleeding stopped and the wound bound. Then came the problem. "Tilda," he exclaimed, "I am astonished at you. How could you disobey your mother? Now, what are you going to tell her?" "I'll tell her I did it with the axe," she said in the midst of her crying. "That will be the truth, won't it?" "Yes," replied the boy, "that's the truth as far as it goes, but it is not all of the truth. You tell the whole truth and trust your mother for the rest." Tilda went home limping and weeping with the whole truth, and the good mother thought she had been punished enough. The self-possessed way in which Lincoln conducted himself is well illustrated in his experience with the boaster who was telling of his horse-race, and especially endeavoring to impress his story upon the youthful Lincoln. Uncle Jimmy Larkins, the boastful owner of the fast horse, was much of a hero in the eyes of a small boy who grew up to be Captain John Lamar, the man who tells the story. Lincoln paid no attention to the boasting. Uncle Jimmy did not like this and the Lamar boy thought it very rude in Lincoln. Finally Uncle Jimmy said, "Abe, I've got the best horse in the world: he won that race and never drew a long breath." But Abe still paid no attention. Uncle Jimmy didn't like it some more and the Lamar boy was disgusted that Lincoln did not give due respect for something so important. "I say, Abe," repeated Uncle Jimmy emphatically, "I have the best horse in the world; after all that running he never drew a long breath." Then Abe had to say something, so he said, "Well, Uncle Jimmy, why don't you tell us how many short breaths he took." "Everybody laughed and Uncle Jimmy got all-fired hot," says Captain Lamar. "He spoke something about fighting Abe, and Abe said, 'If you don't shut up, I'll throw you into the pond,' and Uncle Jimmy shut up." Captain Lamar, in concluding his comments, said, "I was very much hurt at the way my hero was treated, but I have lived to change my ideas about heroes." V. LINCOLN'S FIRST DOLLAR Lincoln enjoyed the commonplace interests of ordinary life, and much that we know of him is from conversations with friends over the early lessons of his youth. One day while he was president, as he was talking with Secretary Seward over weighty affairs of state, he suddenly broke from the subject they were discussing and said, "Seward, do you know how I earned my first dollar?"