How Abraham Lincoln became president . ent, he was bound to vote for old Abe/ One day I was talking with John about Abe, andhe said that in 1830 they made a clearing twelve mileswest of Decatur. There was a patch of timber — fifteenor twenty acres — and they had cleared it; they hadbuilt a cabin, cut the trees, mauled rails, and put up afence. J°hn, said I, did you split rails down there withold Abe? Yes ; every day/ he replied. Do you suppose you could find any of them now? Yes, he said. The last time I was down there,ten years ago, there were plenty of them left/ What are you going to do to-
How Abraham Lincoln became president . ent, he was bound to vote for old Abe/ One day I was talking with John about Abe, andhe said that in 1830 they made a clearing twelve mileswest of Decatur. There was a patch of timber — fifteenor twenty acres — and they had cleared it; they hadbuilt a cabin, cut the trees, mauled rails, and put up afence. J°hn, said I, did you split rails down there withold Abe? Yes ; every day/ he replied. Do you suppose you could find any of them now? Yes, he said. The last time I was down there,ten years ago, there were plenty of them left/ What are you going to do to-morrow ? * Nothing/ Then, said I, come around and get in my buggy,and we will drive down there. So the next day we drove out to the old turned in by the timber, and John said: Dick, if I dont find any black-walnut rails, nor anyhoney-locust rails, I wont claim its the fence Abe and Ibuilt/ Presently John said, Theres the fence! But look at these great trees/ said I. Certainly, he answered. They have all grownup since/. JOHN HANKS. Cousin of Abraham Lincoln. Hanks helped Lincoln make three thousandrails in the Sangamon bottom in 1830. It was he who carried the rail ban-ner into the Republican State Convention at Decatur, May 10, i860. How Abraham Lincoln Became President. 67 John got out. I stayed in the buggy. John kneeleddown and commenced chipping the rails of the old fencewith his knife. Soon he came back with black-walnutshavings and honey-locust shavings. There they are! said he, triumphantly, holdingout the shavings. They are the identical rails we made. Then I got out and made an examination of thefence. There were many black-walnut and honey-locustrails. John, said I, where did you cut these rails ? I can take you to the stumps, he answered. We will go down there, said I. We drove about a hundred yards. Now, said he, look! Theres a black-walnutstump; theres another — another — another. Hereswhere we cut the trees down and split the rails. Thenwe got
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