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"honest Abe."

"honest Abe." image
Parent Issue
Day
10
Month
June
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

'¦ llow diil Lincoln ever come to go into tli.-it grocery at Salein ?" I inquired of .Mr. ¦ il i ii. " He and a man by tho nomo nf Tlorrjbought it out," reptMd Mr. Green, thinkIng they were getting a great bargaln ; and lliev were, bad Ibej known unything abciut bttunwa. Uut i.incoln was no financier, and Berry was an unreliable sort of fellow, and the. result was not very encouraglng." " W'hodid they buy it of" "Of me." " You !" You see, it was this way. A man by the name of Ratfortl came from the South and started a grocery at Salem. His wife"s sister lived near here, and they vanted to be togetuer. It was the fashjon hen t keep liquor in with the groceries, and once in a while a crowd from some of the surroundinjf settleineuts would jratlier at Salem, get to drinking, and makethlngi lively for a while. Just above us here bere was such a crowd, and those composnr it nsed to be called the " Clary Grove set." Katford's brother-in-law knew thein iretty well, and the first time be vent lown to Salem he told the former that lic vas afraid that he would have trouble wilh hem. " Wby, 111 fight any one of 'em," said Uatford. KIOIITINO THE " CLARY GROVE SET." '¦Tlmt won't do any good,"1 sald his n-olhi T-in -luw. " 11' one can't lick you, wo will trv, and if two cau't do il. the vhole crowd will lomp on you. The be ay is to walt quietly till they come and hen try tO make friends with them. Doni ftn thein too niuch whisky, and may be rou can do it." "So Uatford satdown to wait. A weck, wo weeks, three weeks passwl, and the Ireaded gang did not come. Finally his Ife wislnng very much to visit her sister, ¦ ndudud to leave a youngcr brotlier ii charge of the store and go up and spend 'uesday with her. They went, and that erj evetrfhg the Clary Grove set rode Oto tnun. They wan led a drink and In v };ot it. Then they wantod uuottier, ind got that. When "they called for a liird, the younfr man in charre told them bey bad enoiigli and he conld not sell them in v more. : Hu won't!" said the leader. " liovs :" ie yelled. " be ain't goin' tosell us no more ricen '. Oh, no, uv course he won't!" and i yell of derision went up. "The boys tcndcrly lifted the little veifflils from the counter and merrily be_ran pktnhig Hm glati Jan on Um shelves. iemonstrance was uscless, and in ten niin!u iwa mi utrewD wlth copprni-, alum, spice, ginger, milpliur, nuunegs, etc., etc., ank le deep. Tlien they tapped he whisky barrel, and, filliiiir themaenrei uil of benzine, rode out of towu yelling ike A BAND OF INDI A NS. "The homes of the "set" were in the leighborhood ot Katford's brotherinlaws, ind about 3 o'clock In the momlng the elping of dogs, the ¦lattex of cow-belta and the whoops of the "set" returning lome aronaed Katford and the hoatehola "That," said the brother-in-law, "is the Clary Grove set. Ratfortl, they've been to Wem, and I'm afraid the grocery is gone up." " Ratford was very much excited, and goJBg tn the slahles niounted a horse and tan br Salen. "It happcnoil that the same morning, I, hen a boy still in my teens, had started on ïorseback with u rist for the mili al Salem, l'he mili was a sniall allair, and unless one vas early on the ground he had to wait a ong tin'ie for his grinding. I was ridinK ¦to Salem ufcout daylight when Hatford lashed by me. his horse covered with foaiu, nul reined up at the door of Mi gTOOery. There was a small windowat one end. and ai be rot oll' and stood in the door I rode along side of the window AND LOOKED IN. " You see that picture on the wall there," said Mr. Green. " Well, that is a rough (Irauinii of the grocery, and of myself and Hatford. aml the towu as it was that morning. As I was wondering at the ruin inside, Katford, almost bursting with anger, siriK k his lists together and cried- "111 sell this grocery to the iirst man that makes an offer for it." " Looking in at the window I sang out, l'll jrive.you$400for it. ¦ All right, you can have it," said he. "I didn't know what I was buying, but it looked to me as if it was still wortli twiee that. I told him who I was, that I dldn't h:.ve the money, but would eive my note, and there and then the trade was made. I u as still standing amid the broken jam, hardly knowing what I had done, w hen Lincoln came across froni bis boardlngliouse and looked in. '¦ What'sup, Rill!" said he. 'I told hhn what I liad done, and he lauffhed till he nearly cried. It looked s funny, lio sald, to s-e me standing tbn li the copperaí and sulphur, a newly fledged incrcliuiit. " Son must have AS INVRNTOKV njrlit awav." said lie. I remember tha IVÉS the lirst. time 1 had BYCr hcard the word liivcutorv. and I liad kind of a din ¦OH f notion tliat t meaiit another Bmosh up; 10 1 aaid. "Much nhllaad. r.lnnnl í.n I don't want any more inventories here.' Theo he laughed, and explained, am pretty soon carne over and helped me to tiike an account of stock. We found when we ít throiigh that there wcre about $1,'.'(K) worth ot' goodij and I lelt prettj ut-Il over iny bwain. Then Berry caim round. He talked to Lincoln, and finally they offered to take my note to Ratford me a horse, saddle, and biïdle that Berrv liad, and $250 rush for my bargain, and Í accepted it. The money was all in silver and that night I started"home (1 had senl the grist back during the.day) feellng pretty proud. " It was rather late when I got to the , and when 1 opened tlie door, father, who slept in the room, gruftly cried out, ' Wlio-stlut?' "It's me," said I. "(Ui, Ü'i THE MAUCHANT." lir i'x.laimcd, derisively. "Whoyou goin' togei to olerk f or yon f Tou paok otr to bed now, mighty quick. 111 give you ¦ store ' in the moaning.1' He was i-ry naad, hut instead of golog to bed I threw Bome kindllng on the lire, and it Mazed up, makinga brtght light. 1 look a bandful oJ tUveroutánd tniewit on the taille. " What'a that" said father. '¦'¦'K:,n'-i,H'rM'ü] '¦'¦n',i,vi1l,,, ,. did you inakcy ¦ 1 don'l know," suid I. " I wanl l i out of my clothcs," and I began tossing the -iiv.T in all dlrectlons, drawing it out of every pocket. Pretty soon he raled np ..i. bla iii. cliiows and löokcd at mr. "I guees 111 take A CHAW TK1Í1IACKEU," said he, Still I went on until lic opened his eves in amazenient, md then 1 tohl li i ii i what 1 liail di " Ilere, I.izzie," he cried to mother, as I got thrïugb. " Oet up, am' get this boy a göod BUpper. Ilcs had a ha "3 day's work." "It was all right then ?"' Vell, the result was that Ratford wouldn't give me up my note and take Lincoln and Berry's, bot let it remain as it ma, and t aftenvard gare Lincoln fcnd mygelf infinite trouble. The war broke Out and things went wrong with the new tirin. The note went into the hands of Peter Yanbergen, still living in Sprinflekl, and we renewed it several times at twentylive per cent. i'inally it reached $G0O, and Lincoln, while dolefully discussing the slim prospect of ever paying it, used to cali it the national debt. A few years later I went into Kentucky to teach school, 'ind Lincoln, ri'inoviiig to Springfield, b ?gan to earn aomethtag at law, and betwem us uc at last paid t. It was several jears, ;hongh, beton heeot ahead enoagh to pay me for my Bhare, but he did it at last, uul that was the end of the ffroocrx Did Lincoln feel bad over lus rálin ¦' Well, he feit bad at his inability topay ;he note, whicli he had agned to pay, but ie liccamc Mtlgfied that lic was not cut out or a businessman. Douglastold me after lis famous campaign with Lincoln that he thought one day lic wonld rive the latter i np over the SALOON BUSINESS, as he called t, and so he tauntingly referred to the fact that he knew his tall opponent when lic practiced behind the bar al Balein, md did K with much grace if not with rcmarkable success. "LiiKdln icc-ivcd the tannt good-naturedly, and. replying, said that though he did not achive wealth or distinetion while mgaged on his side of the bar at Salem, he ble to tcstify to the constancy and assiduity with whloh Judge Douglas practiced on the other sirte during that era of irroccrykeeping. The audiencè yelled, and Jouglas trankly acknowledged that his tall latasomtet had the bettor ai him." ¦' Vere }'ou with Lincoln during the Black Hawk war?" " Ves. It was not much of a war, but during our term out many amusing incidents occurred. I remember at Koek -land there was A ISIO FELI.OW iiamcd Sant 'J'iioinnson. who wn i tacked oy his company as tne champion vrc-tlcr of (he camp. Kinally we put Linoln agalnat him, and liet every (linie we ¦ould acrape togethw, 'l'hey took hold, but 'l'hompson 'ot the crotch loek on Lin¦oln and threw him flat. They took hold igflin, and Ijncoln told me afterward that ie knew Thompson oould throw him, but ie thonght he'd let the boys down as easy i ble, so he dallied around and put (ff the tal! as long as possibie. Aftersome ninutcs Thompson took the crotch look on lim agalüi and they carne down, but it w.is tot so tair a tall as the first, and our boys laimed it was a 'dog fall.' 'J'he otlier rowd dcinandcd thcir money.and in about i minute there were 200 coats otV and a i ofa f nc tight. Lincoln'sinfluence vas then ihown. Brushjogthe sand from ïis clothes he ericd. " iivc up vour money ioys ! It be didn't throw me fair, he can. tn willing to admit that." In a moment he AStlHV W0RD8 WERE UI 'SHKH, coats wcre put on, and with an " all right, Abe, if you say so," the erowd quietly disteraed. ,,r or aftpr l.ini'oln's elcction. I as sitting wlth liim one lay at the White when he suddenly broke out with, 'What's becorue of that man Thompaen, Binr " What man Thompson?" I inquired. " Wliy, that fcllow that threw me in the amp at Ko'-U Island during tho Jidack Inwk uarï" said lic. "I don't know. I haven't lliouglit ol ïim for tucniy reara. Why!" "Oh BOtnlnr," said Lincoln. " Onlj I hought if you knew where he was I'd give lini a little ' appointmunt ' just to show hut I didn't bear him any mallce." I doiTt belleve he found Thompson, and f the latter is alive, 1 don't know where ie is." I taqnired of Mr. Green about LINCOLN'S FATHKR, )Ut he never saw him accept once. That was after the eider Lincoln had married ¦ 1 wife. "I was going to Kentucky." said Mr. Green. " and Lincoln insisted that I should stop and sec his father, as it was 'just a ittle out of the way.' He gave me a letter 0 him, and I stopped, though I found that In 'justa little' was very near fourteen niles. I found his father living in a little cabln thatcost perhaps15, and with many evidences of poverty about him. I was disposed to apologtoe for my coming, and jo away as soan as possibie, but I found liat ihough Lincoln was poor he was niighty hospital, and a very entertaining ïost in spite of his surroundings. He insisted on my staying all night, and when I wondered where I would put my horse, he took the animal, hitched him to a rouga shed and pointing to a kettle that stood there, said there never wis its equal for a ïorse-trough. Itwas a matiger that would hold grata, hay, and water, and Lincoln seemetl to regard it in his droll way with a KOd deal ot pridc and satisfaction. He wm a capital story teller- better than his son, If possibie- and kept me laughing a rrmtdeal. lic took me out of the eabin, ind pointing to a corner where the logs ran through each otlier, some of them long and some short, explained in a serious way that he had studied convenlence in the rectiou of that house, and that it was really souiething to be vi -ry proud Of. ' Here,' saitj lie, poiiitin; to the end of a log that projected throngn a Rood unysanc was high up, ' hcrc ! where we bang i deer to skin it.' 'That,' polnting to i shorter one, 'is f'or a cali, and that,' point ing toa still shorter one. 'fewlten wejti a hog or sheep. It ooit me lime, but it worth it.' The old man could DOl rea.l and when I handed htm the lei ter froni Abe he passed it over to biswife, whoread tor him. He asked liow his son w 'V'K ¦ -- i-.-i - i l.uluv amildn'l diagraee liimself. I lelt the old man with a very warm opinión of him. " I ara tokl," said I. as Mr. Green paused in hls recital, " that you were present hen Lincoln SHOILDBUED TUE BARREL OV WHISKI and drank out of the bunjr-kole. Umi ii that?" "Well, he didn't exactly drink," aaid Mr. (reen, " lor Lincoln oever drank liquor, bnt lic took ii swaltow in hls moutb, and then spit it out aguin. It whs done to win a bet. You see, a man bv the of Eastep, who lived neajr balein, was a reat fellow to be always betting with tlu; boys, and winnini; from tht'in, on liis ..uu t ricks. He had beaten me a great niany times, and aftcr he liad done so onc day, Lincoln told me I ought to stop betting with Iiim. 'Ile'll always beat you, " said Lincoln, 'and he knowi it or liè wouldn'l bet. Now, if you'll agrec tostop it I'll teil you how to (jet even with liim." 1 prom laed, and Lincoln told me ii bel Eastep, iicxt time he came to town, thal he (Lincoln) c-ould take up a barrel of wlii.kv and drink out of the bune-hole. ] hardly belicved Lincoln eould do it, hut heshowetl me bow easy it was, liy geftlng the barrel on bis knces, to do il, and mi tlic nexl up portunity I taokled Kaslep for a bet. He v-.!"!;t;f U).Uu.iU..lJüV when I wanted to prised. 11. .ever. he t..k the boK'J'ii crowd fathercd ronud to eethefun. I.ineoln tilted the bami on an and, then onto bis knees, then rollad it slowly np till ]„¦ bad it in the riht ]iosition. when thé bong wal taken out, and be took the Bwalïow, ae agreod. Basten tooked on in Uankamaaaineut, but liouht the hatand left. 1 never knew him to bet again after that." We bad listened now to the very int. ing conversation of Mr. Green lfom 10:9 until after 3 o'clock, and were torced to quit our hospitable and eatertaining to catch the train. The interview v u a penuine treat to me, and if I have rOproduced it with any justice in these lottera the readers of The ínter Ocean have probably been repaid for their perusal. idd a niite to the store-house of i'ici.lent's reasured by the nation regardlng : he great jresidetit, and, as such, possess a valué which will be increased as the years go 1-.

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News