File:Abraham Lincoln, the pioneer boy and how he became president - the story of his life (1896) (14593936097).jpg

Identifier: abrahamlincolnpi00thay (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln, the pioneer boy and how he became president : the story of his life
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Thayer, William Makepeace, 1820-1898
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Presidents
Publisher: London : Hodder and Stoughton
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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. Berryturned out to be an intemperate, worthless fellow, em-barrassed the business, cheated his partner, clearedout, and left Lincoln with all the debts to pay. Thesettlement left him penniless, without a copper to payhis note to Green. All right, said Green; donttrouble yourself about me. When you are able to payit you can ; but if you dont its all the same. Abraham facetiously called it the national debt,and declared that he should never rest until it waspaid. And he did not. Green removed to Tennesseebefore the note v/as paid, and scarcely expected that hisfriend would ever be able to redeem it. But, in 1840,after Abraham had entered the legal profession, the lastdollar was paid. Being through with his store Abraham v/as againwithout employment. To add to his disappointment Mr.Herndon, with whom he boarded, removed from town,obliging him to take up his quarters at the villagetavern —a log house with four rooms. While waitingfor some opening, he devoted himself to mental improve-
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UNSOUGHT HONOURS. 209 ment with more earnestness than ever. He read RollinsAncient History, Gibbons Decline and Fall of theRoman Empire, and similar works, borrowed of WilliamGreen, Minter Graham, Bovvlin Greene, and other parties.Copies of the works of the poets Burns and Shakespearewere lent him, and Kirkhams Grammar was reviewed,also. He was so won by Burns and Shakespeare thathe committed many of their best productions to memory;and, through life, these poets were his favourite reading. He wrote a careful synopsis of all the books heread, in order to treasure the contents in his memory.This habit was of inestimable value to him. To it isto be traced, in part at least, that clearness of expres-sion, and that fund of illustrations and facts, for whichthe public addresses of his ripe manhood were dis-tinguished. Citizens of New Salem claim, also, that he beganto study law at this time. There is no reliable evi-dence, however, that he began the study of law, withthe expectation of eve

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