will make a great man sure as he lives.” One of the enthusiastic women declared, “He will be President of the United States yet.”

In the discussions Abraham was logical and witty, and everybody was on the alert to hear him speak. Among the questions discussed were, “Which is the stronger, wind or water?” and “Which has the most right to complain, the negro or the Indian?” Abraham had picked up much information concerning wind and water, so that he was not at all limited for materials in the discussion. On the other question he had very definite views of his own, and not a little information collected from here and there. He hated Indians out of respect to his ancestors, if for no other reason; still, he considered them an abused race. But he spoke for the negro in that debate, and made his first public plea for the enslaved, at that time, on the free soil of Indiana.

That Abraham did not improve in his personal appearance, as he did in knowledge, is evident from a remark of Miss Roby, when he went to live with Mr. Gentry. She said, “Abe was then a long, thin, leggy, gawky boy, dried up and shrivelled.” He appeared to be much older than he was. Caring little or nothing for dress, he continued to wear apparel of the genuine pioneer pattern, which made his homeliness more homely. A remark of Dennis, on one occasion, was quite expressive: “Abe has too much legs to be handsome;” and it was true.

Still, he was the centre of attraction in all circles. Men, women, and children loved to hear him talk. They would gather about him to listen, whether in house or field. He continued to improve, too, in this regard. Nat Grigsby says:—

“When he appeared in company the boys would gather and cluster around him to hear him talk. He was figurative in his speeches, talks, and conversations. He argued much from analogy, and explained things hard for us to understand by stories, maxims, tales, and figures. He would almost always point his lesson or idea by some story that was plain and near us, that we might instantly see the force and bearing of what he said.”

Later, Nat Grigsby and his brother were married at the same time, and brought their wives home to their father’s cabin. They had a grand reception for pioneer life, but, in consequence of some pique, did not invite Abraham, who felt the slight keenly. In his chagrin, he wrote a piece of poetry, which he called “The Chronicles of Reuben” (Reuben was the name of one of the Grigsby brothers), and dropped it in the road where he was quite sure it would fall into their hands. It was a very sarcastic production, and caused quite a sensation, not only in the family, but also in the neighbourhood. It was a thoughtless act of Abraham, which he regretted afterwards, and the whole affair was subsequently settled on a lasting basis. Nat Grigsby wrote, after Abraham was distinguished in public life:—

“Lincoln did write what is called the ‘Chronicles of Reuben’—a satire on the Grigsbys and Josiah Crawford,—not the schoolmaster, but the man who lent Lincoln ‘The Life of Washington.’ The satire was good, sharp, cutting; it hurt us then, but it is all over now. There is no family in the land who, after this, loved Abe so well, and who now look upon him as so great a man. We all voted for him,—all that could,—children and grandchildren, first, last, and always.”

Dennis Hanks, who ought to know more about Abraham, from fourteen to eighteen years of age, than any of his companions, has so characteristically described his way of learning and making progress that we quote his description here:—

“He learned by sight, scent, and hearing. He heard all that was said, and talked over and over the questions heard; wore them slick, greasy, and threadbare. He went to political and other speeches and gatherings; he would hear all sides and opinions, talk them over and discuss them, agreeing or disagreeing. Abe, as I said before, was originally a Democrat after the order of Jackson, so was his father, so we all were. He preached, made speeches, read for us, explained to us, etc. … Abe was a cheerful boy, a witty boy, was humorous always; sometimes would get sad, not very often. … He would frequently make political and other speeches to the boys; he was calm, logical, and clear always. He attended trials, went to court