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Show SAYS THAT THE- DREED OF LINCOLN IS NOT GONE In tho December American Magazine Maga-zine nppcnrs a wonderful account of J. A. Burns, a Kentucky mountaineer mountain-eer who has founded a collego to savo his own pcoplo from degeneracy nnd feuds. In connection with tho story of Burns tho author says that tho breed ot Lincoln is not gone Burns who Is about forty 'oars of age, lived a rough life in the Cumberland Cum-berland Hills of Kentucky up to tho tlmo he got Interested lu his present work. Tho story of his hard life, a part of which follows, is as Interesting Interest-ing nnd wild as could bo Imagined- "Llko so many of thnt land, ho grow up a mnn of theus, lean, hardy, stalwart. Ho lived as did other young men. Practising all manner ot trades perforce, working for a scant wage, farming a little, running with the log rafts down tho Kentucky n great deal, ho was a mnn of might, not knowing really how strong he was, hut accounted somewhat fear-somo fear-somo to meet In personal encounter. He exulted In tumult and strife. For eoiuo tune the teachings of his parent's par-ent's left him little different from his fellows of this rude environment. "Whether with or without all tho consent of his reason, but certainly bound by piecedent, If not by preference, prefer-ence, young Burns found himself involved in-volved In the French-Eversolo feud, as the local lighting chanced nt that tlmo to bo named. With certain other oth-er warriors of his elan, ho onco upon a time essnyed to take n log stronghold strong-hold of tho foe. Tho enemy proved not of like mind. Thero wo'c certain shots, mucii cutting nnd thrusting and nt Inst a sally of tho besieged from tho log fortress. Among thoso sallying wns another stalwart who, his rifle being now empty, smote mightily with tho barrel thereof, after af-ter tho fashion of D. lloouo among savoges. Finding young Burns with no present means ot defenso him ho smoto mightily across tho head with the rlflo barrel; and so left him for dead on tho foughtcn Held. Having thus enjoyed themselves pleasantly for n tlmo, with lo3s of llf0 on both aides thoso still able to travel drow aport. Burns, being dead, presently wb dragged off by tho heels from tho door ynrd, and thrown over tho fence that ho might bo less In the road or local travel. Tho literal truth of all which is vouched for plensnntly by Mr. Burns himself. "The son of tho Baptist preacher, stalwart raftsman nnd feudist, luckily lucki-ly for himself, lay1 very still, because ho wns unconscious. It wns nearly morning, nnd happily still dnrk, when ho awoko nnd n'owiy concluded thnt perhaps after nil ho yet might live. He drugged himself slowly away- to cover, arguing with himself whether or not ho could live or wns nllve. It being very difficult to kill n man, ho did survive After a time ho ventured ventur-ed down to n cabin for food nnd drink "Presently ho began to recover his strength. Ho did not go back to tho settlement after more ammunition. On tho contrary, not daunted, but sobered, ho went back up Into tho mountains. Ho remnlned thero for four days, not fearing, but studying. It was plain that bo had been killed, and thnt ho had como to life, again. Why had ho been brought to life? Now tho Dnptlst In him began to overcome ov-ercome tho raftsman. Tho God ot his fathors provalled. Burns concluded conclud-ed that ho had been spared for somo rnuso, for somo purpose. Ho conrlud ed that ho owed n largo debt to tho stalwart neighbor who had broken his head, and so taught him n now way of thinking." |
