Show r A Story of the Builders A Man Mano l o- o or r i 4 of Democracy t the he SAges Ages By 1 IR IRVING III G BACHELLER 1 iC LLER Copyright Irving Bacheller r NOW HE BELONGS TO THE AGES AGES- AGES ST STANTON ANTON ANTONA A Man for the Ages it is Abraham Lincoln The book it is fiction dealing with fact history fact in the guise uise of fiction It it is an intimate study of Abraham Lincoln during hit his formative period at New Salem III Ill It tells tell a a. chapter in hit his life that no man can read without smiles miles and tears teara and wonder Abraham Lincoln arrived at New Salem in 1831 a stranger a L friendless uneducated penniless boy working on a flat boat for 10 a month as at he himself put it In 1837 he left leEt to take up hit his law practice in Springfield In those thoe six ix years yean he bo transformed him himself ell to toa a man of acknowledged ability of promise promie of more than local tation It was wat at New Salem that he earned the nickname of Honest Honet Abet Abe that he was wat defeated for the legislature and elected that he hewon hewon hewon won and lost by death Ann Rutledge Irving Bacheller it i. one ono of the very few men who could write such uch a book His Hi work it is well known This Thi will add to hit his fame u CHAPTER I. I 1 1 Which Describes the Journey of Samson Sam Sam- son eon Henry Traylor and His Wife and Their Two Children and Their Dog Sambo Through the Adirondack Wilderness Wilderness Wil Wil- In 1831 1821 on Their Way to the theLand theLand theLand Land of Plenty Plenty Furthermore Furthermore It Describes De De- scribes the Soaping of the Brim- Brim In the early summer of 1831 1811 Samson Sam- Sam ton son Traylor and his wife Sarah and two children left their old home near the village e of Vergennes Vermont end and began begun their travels toward the netting sun with four chairs a bread breadboard breadboard board oard and rolling pin a n feather bed end blankets a small looking glass a skillet an ax a pack basket with a pad of sole leather on the same a awater awater water ater pall pail a box of dishes a tub of salt pork pOlk a n rifle a teapot a sack of ot meal sundry small provisions pro and a violin In a double wagon drawn b by oxen It Is a pleasure to note that the they had a a- a violin and were not disposed disposed disposed dis dis- dis- dis posed to part with It The reader render must not overlook o Its full Cull historic cance The stern stem uncompromising spirit of the Puritan had left lert the time house bouse of ol the Yankee before beCore a violin could enter It It Humor and the love of pla play had preceded and cleared a away away away way for It Where there was a fiddle there were cheerful hearts A young oung black shepherd dog log with tawny points and the name of ot Sambo followed the wagon If we had been at th the Congregational church on Sunda Sunday we might have hae heard the minister saying to Samson after the sc service n Ice that It ft was hard to understand why the happiest family In the parish and the most beloved beloved be be- loved lo should be leaving Its Us ancestral home to go to a n far new country of which little was known We might also have haTe heard Samson answer Its awful easy to be happy here mere We slide along In the time same old groove groo that hat our fathers traveled tra from Vergennes Vergennes Ver Yer- gennes to Paradise We work and pIa play and go to and put a shin shinplaster shinplaster shinplaster plaster In the box and grow old and narrow narrow and stingy sUng and mean and go up to glory glor and are turned Into saints i find and angels Ma Maybe Mahe he that's the best hest thing that could happen to us but Sarah and I kind Lind o 0 thought wed we'd try a new starting starling place and another route to heaven Sarah and und Sampson had been raised o on n adjoining farms just out o of f the time village He had had little schooling but his mind was active and well In In- In Sarah had prosperous relatives rela rela- tives thes In Boston and had had hall the advantage ad all- vantage of or a years year's schooling In that city She was a comel comely girl of a taste and refinement unusual In the place and time of hei het birth Many any well favored youths had sought her hand but better than others she liked the big masterful natured good humorous Samson crude as he was Naturally r In her hands his bis timber had undergone some and and smoothIng smooth smooth- Ing Inre and his bis thoughts had been gently W led Into new and pleasant ways Let us take a look at them as they slowly lowly lea leave the village e of their birth The wagon Is covered ered with tent cloth t drawn over hickory arches They are ure sitting on a seat scat overlooking o the oxen In the wagon front Tears are streaming stream stream- streaming ing down the face of the woman The Theman's Theman's Theman's mans man's head hend Is bent Ills elbows are resting on his bis knees the hickory handle of ot hl his ox or whip wIp JI lies s across his bis lap lup the lash Insh at nt his feet Ceel He lIe seems to tobe tobe tobe be looking down at his boots Into the tops of ot which his trousers have been folded lIe He Is a rugged blond bearded man with kindly blue eyes eres and ond a ara ra rather ther prominent nt nose There Is a striking expression of at power In the tread bead and shoulders of oC Sam Samson n Traylor The breadth of his had hack the size of his wrists wrists and hands the color of I i his face face betoken tace betoken a man of great lent This thou thoughtful sorrowful attitude Is the only evidence c of ot emotion emotion emo emo- tion which he be betrays In a 0 t few w minutes he begins to whistle a lIvel lively tune The boy Josiah familiarly called Jo sits Joe sits beside his mother lie Ill Is Isa Isa isa a slender lender sweet faced lad Ind He Ill Is ro looking up wistfully at his moth mother r. r The little girl nets Betsey sits between him and her ber father I That evening e they Y stopped at the house houlle of ot an old friend some miles up the rusty road to the north Here we arc are west Sam Sam- SamIon Samion ion shouted to the man at the door- door tep j He lie alighted and helped his family out of ot the wagon You go right In Ill In-I'll Ill I'll take care othe o 0 the oxen said the man Samson started for tor the house with the the girl girl under one arm and the boy hoy under the other A pleasant Laced woman greeted them fth a heart hearty welcome at the door You Tou poor man Come right In sh she said Poor Im I'm the richest man In the world sold said he Look at the gold goldon on that girls girl's head head curly curly fine tine gold old too too the the best there Is She's Betsey Betse m my little to toy woman woman half half past 8 seven Cn years old blue blue ejes helps eyes helps her mother moth moth- er get set tired ever every day dar Heres Here's my to toy man yes Josiah yes es brown blOwn hair and brown eyes like Sarah Sarah heart heart o 0 gold old helps his mother too too sIx six times one year old What pretty faces said the woman woman wo wo- wo- wo man as ns she stooped and kissed then Yes maam Got Cot em from the fairies Samson went on They The have hm-e all aU kinds o 0 heads for little folks foUts an nn I guess they ther color em up with the blood o 0 roses an nn the gold o 0 buttErcups buttercups buttercups butter butter- cups an the blue o 0 violets Heres Here's this wife o o 0 mine twine She's I am She 0 owns ons ns all aU of us Were We're her slaves sla Looks as young oun as ns she did the day she IH was married nine married nine years ears ago ngo sa said leI the woman Exactly I Samson exclaimed Straight as an arrow and proud I I 1 dont don't blame her She's Sines got enough to mak make her proud I sa say I I fall faU In Inlove inlove love again every ery time I look Into her herbig herbig herbig big brown e eyes es They had a Joyous evening and a ft restful night with these old friends s sand and resumed their Journey journe soon after atter daylight dalIght The They ferried across the lake lale at Burlington and fared Iwa away O f over r the time mountains and through the deep forest on the trail Since the Pilgrims land landed l between the measureless waters and ond the pathless path lath lath- less wilderness they ther and find their descendants descendants des des- had been surrounded by the lure of m mystery The love e of adventure nd en ture tare the desire to explore the dark Infested d and beautiful forest the dream nm of fruitful sunn sunny lands cut with water courses shored with sil silver silver sil- sil iI- iI ver Cl an and strewn with gold beyond It It- It these were the only heritage of ot their sons son l and daught daughters r save fa the strength th I and courage of the pioneer How true was this dream of ot theirs gathering detail and allurement as us It passed from sire to son On distant plains to the west were lands lums more 10 lovely 1 and fruitful than an any any of of their vision In mountains far he beyond was gold enough to gild the dome of th the heavens heavens heaT ens as the tIle sun was wont to do at even eventide tille and silver er enough to put a fairly respectable moon ninon In It Yet for generations their eyes ejes were not to see their hands were not to touch these things R. R They y were only to push their lr frontier a little farther to the west and hold bold the dream and pass It on onto onto onto to their children Those early years ears of the Nineteenth century century- held the first da days s 's of or full full- Samson and Sarah Traylor had bad the old ohl dream In hl their hearts wh when n they first t turned their faces to the west For years ears Sarah hind bad r resisted re rev slated it thinking of the tile hardships and perils In the way of the mover mo Samson a man mon of or twenty nine wh when n nhe he s set t out from his old home borne was saId Kald to ho be always chu chasing ln the bird In the hush He lIe was never er content with t the le thing In hand band There were certain certain tain of their friends who promised to come orne and ond Join them when at nt last they should have ha found the land of pl plenty nt But most of the group that bade hade them good good good-by hy thou thought ht It a foolish fool fool- foolish I ish h enterprise e and spoke lightly of Samson when the they were gone sone America Amer Amer- I ica a has undervalued the brave souls who went west In wagons without i who e enu courage rage and endurance the plains would still be an nn unplowed wilderness Often Ortt n we hear har them thorn set net et down as ns Feeds shiftless s dreamers who wIn could not make a ln lI living at home They wore were wr mostly the thet be best t blood of the world and the noblest of or Gods God's missionaries Who does not honor them above p the thrifty comfort comfort lov ing men and women who preferred to stay at home where rl risks ks were few the the supply of or food sure and sufficient nt and th the consolations of ot friendship friendship friend friend- ship and religion always s 's at hand band Samson Samon and Sarah preferred to enlist and take their pl places ce In the tiie front battle line of or Civilization They had r read pad ad a little hook book called The Country Countr of the San Sangamon amon The latter was a word of the meaning land of ot plenty plent It was the name of a river rl In Illinois drainIng draining drain drain- Ing boundless s flowery flower meadows of ot unexampled beauty and fertility belted belted belted belt belt- ed with timber blessed with shady groves gro ert cO covered d with game and aud mostly level le without a stick or a stone to vex CX the plowman Thither the they were ere bound to take up a section of government go land The They stopped for a visit with Ellsha Elisha Howard and his bis wife old friends of ot theirs who lived In the village of Malone which was In l Franklin county New York There the they traded their o oxen en for lOl a team of horses They w were re large gray horses named Pete and Colonel The latter was fat and good good- natured Ills His chief Interest In life was aas food Pete was always looking for food and perils Colonel was the near horse Now and then Samson threw a ft sheepskin over his back and put the boy on It and tramped along within arms arm's reach rench of ot JO Joes Joe's 5 left leg This was a great delight to the little lad The They proceeded d at a n bett better fr pace to toward the Black lack country which In the village of oC Canton they tarried again for a visit with Captain Moody and Silas Wright right both of whom had bad taught school in the town of Vergennes The They proceeded through DeKalb Richville nIch and Gouverneur GoU and Antwerp Antwerp Antwerp Ant Ant- and on to the Sand plains They had hind gone goue far out of their way for a alook alook look at these old friends of theirs Samson's r dh diary tells how bow at the top of the long steep hills he be used to cut a small tree b by the roadside and tie Its butt to the rear renT axle and hang on to Its branches while his wife drove the team feam This held their load loal making an effective brake hake Traveling through the forest as the they ha had been doing for Cor weeks while the lay day waned the they looked for a Brookside on which th they y could pass the night with water hand handy Samson SamsonA A N a 1 I r M i it t Tramped Along Within Arms Arm's Reach tethered fed and watered ed their horses and I whIle Sarah and th the children Ien built a n fire and made tea ten and biscuits he was anus getting bait and catching fis fish In the stream uni In a few minutes from the time I wet m my hook monk a mess of ol trout would be dressed and sizzling with a piece Illece of salt alt pork In the pan or it was a n b bad d da day day- for for- fishing he be writes After supper the wagon was partly unloaded the feather ather bed laid upon the planks plunks under the wagon roof root and spread with blankets Then Samson san sang songs and told stories or played upon the violin to amuse e the family Often If the others were weary and und depressed II be he would dance dunce merrily around the fire playing a level fI lively tune with Sambo glad to lend lend a help ng foot COOl and much noise to the pro program ram n By and h bj by the violin was put awa away and mill all h by the fire tire while Sarah prayed aloud for protection through the night So It will Sill be he seen that the they carried with them their own little theater church and hotel Soon after darkness s fell Sarah and the children la lay lay- down for the night while Samson stretched out with his Ills blanket by h- the fire In good goodweather goodweather weather the loaded musket and the dog clog Sambo lying beside him Often the howling bowling of wolves es In the distant nt forest orest kept them awake and the do dog doe muttering and barking for hours Samson on woke evoke the camp at nt daylight ht and a U merry song was his reveille while he led the horses to their drink When they set out In the morning Sam Samson on onOS was OS wont to say ay to the little lad had who ho generally F set Kit beside him Well my bo boy what's the good word this morning Whereupon Joe would say say parrot like God Coif l help us nil all and make make ills His face fae to shine upon us Well Vell said Bald I 1 his hIe father would anI an an- I sW saver r and so the days day's Journey begun began bC Ort Often n near Its end they came to some lonel lonely farmhouse Always Samson Sam 1 son would stop and go to the door to a ask k about the roads followed by little Joe and Betsey with secret hopes One of the these e hopes was related d to cookies and maple sugar and buttered bread and had bad been cherished since an hour of good fortune early In the trip and encouraged by sundry good good- hearted women along the road Another Another An An- other was the hope of seeing a baby mainly It should be said the hope of Betsey Joes Joe's interest was merely an echo |