Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN • 41ment she made irregular and uncertain stitches, and the olderand more composed women noticed it. They smiled. The ownerkept this quilt for years, and after Lincoln became President sheproudly displayed it to visitors and pointed out the irregularstitches made by his sweetheart.On summer evenings Lincoln and Ann strolled together alongthe banks of the Sangamon, where whippoorwills called in thetrees and fireflies wove golden threads through the night.In the autumn they drifted through the woods when the oakswere flaming with color and hickory-nuts were pattering to theground. In the winter, after the snow had fallen, they walkedthrough the forest, whenEvery oak and ash and walnutWore ermine too dear for an earlAnd the poorest twig on the elm treeWas ridged inch-deep with pearl.For both of them, now, lifehad taken on a sacred tenderness,a new and strangely beautiful meaning. When Lincolnbut stood and looked down into Ann's blue eyes her heart sangwithin her; and at the mere touch of her hands he caught hisbreath and was amazed to discover that there was so muchfelicity in all the world. . . .A short time before this, Lincoln had gone into business witha drunkard, a preacher's son, named Berry. The little villageof New Salem was dying, all its stores were gasping for breath.But neither Lincoln nor Berry could see what was happening,so they bought the wrecks of three of these log-cabin groceries,consolidated them, and started an establishment of their own.One day a mover who was driving out to Iowa halted hiscovered wagon in front of the Lincoln & Berry store. The roadswere soft, his horses were tired, and the mover decided tolighten his load. So he sold Lincoln a barrel of household plunder.Lincoln didn't want the plunder, but he felt sorry for thehorses; he paid the mover fifty cents, and without examiningthe barrel rolled it into the back room of the store.A fortnight later he emptied the contents of the barrel outon the floor, idly curious to see what he had bought. There, atthe bottom of the rubbish, he found a complete edition of Blackstone'sCommentaries on Law; and started to read. The farmerswere busy in their fields, and customers were few and farbetween, so he had plenty of time.And the more he read, the