“He was very shy of ladies. On one occasion, while we boarded at this tavern, there came a family, containing an old lady and her son, and three stylish daughters, from the State of Virginia, and stopped there for two or three weeks; and, during their stay, I do not remember Lincoln ever eating at the same table when they did. I then thought it was on account of his awkward appearance and his wearing apparel.”

Mr. Lamon says of him, at this time: “he read with avidity all the newspapers that came to New Salem—chiefly The Sangamon Fournal, The Missouri Republican, and the Louisville Fournal. The latter was his favourite; its wit and anecdotes were after his own heart.” He also read The Cincinnati Gazette and other papers.

His quarters at the “tavern” subjected him to many interruptions. People enjoyed his conversation so much that they paid little regard to his time for study. In consequence, he was obliged to seek quiet elsewhere. “Sometimes he went to James Short’s on the Sand Ridge; sometimes to Minter Graham’s; sometimes to Bowlin Greene’s; sometimes to Jack Armstrong’s, and as often, perhaps, to Able’s or Ben Herndon’s. All of these men served him faithfully and signally at one time and another, and to all of them he was sincerely attached.”

Lincoln found work after a time. Unexpectedly he met John Calhoun of Springfield,—the Calhoun who subsequently became notorious for his efforts to enslave Kansas. He became President of the Lecompton Constitutional Convention, and disgraced himself by plans and tricks to force slavery upon Kansas. But when he met Abraham he was engaged in a more legitimate and honourable business; he was “Surveyor for Sangamon County.”

“Try your hand at surveying,” said Calhoun.

“I know nothing about it,” answered Abraham.

“Learn, then.”

“How can I do that?”

“Easy enough if you want to do it.”

“I do want to do it. I think I should like the business if I could qualify myself for it.”

“You can, and in a few weeks too. I will lend you Flint and Gibson, the authors you will want to study, and you can provide yourself with a compass and chain, and I will render you any assistance I can.”

“You are very kind, Mr. Calhoun, and I will do the best I can. Your generous offer shall not come to nothing for want of my trying.”

“You’ll make a good surveyor, I’m sure of that, and find plenty of business. And, what is more, I will depute to you that portion of my field contiguous to New Salem.”

“It is more than I could expect of you,” said Lincoln. “I could not ask so great a favour.”

“Take it without asking,” said Calhoun, in a jolly way. “I have much more than I can do, and I am glad to give you a portion of the county. The great influx of immigrants, and the consequent entry of government lands, has given me more than my hands full.”

“I shall be glad to accept your offer as soon as I am qualified for the business.”

“The bargain is closed, then, and in six weeks you can be surveying, if you’ve a mind to,” said Calhoun.

“I shall have a mind to, if that is all,” replied Lincoln; “and with a thousand thanks, too, for your assistance. It is worth all the more to me now, because I am thrown out of business.”