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no doubt; that they saw in their son, Abraham, early evidence of remarkable mental powers is certain; but that they expected he would ever become distinguished as a public man is not true; for there was no prospect whatever that he would lift the incubus of want and obscurity, and step out into the world of renown. Such an anticipation could not possibly have been indulged by them.

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Indiana had been ad

It was the autumn of 1816. mitted as a free State into the Union, and immigration thither had already set in as a consequence.

The

excitement over freedom in Indiana had reached Kentucky, as we have said already, and Thomas Lincoln and wife became interested parties. They discussed the question of removing thither, and finally decided in the affirmative, provided their farm could be sold.

"As soon as the fall work is through," was Mr. Lincoln's decision.

"If you can sell," added Mrs. L., with a significant emphasis upon the if. "It's a hard place to sell anything here. Perhaps we shall have to stay a while longer."

"There'll be somebody to buy," added Mr. L., with a confident air. ·

"Heard anything from the man Gallaher told about?" "Not a word; but there's time enough yet."

Neighbour Gallaher had met a person who desired to purchase a small farm like Lincoln's, and he had told him of Lincoln's desire to sell in October, "after the fall work was through.". The man's name was Colby; and Mr. Lincoln really expected the would-be purchaser would make his appearance. His wife had little faith in the enterprise, although she really desired to remove to Indiana. The difficulty of selling a farm at such a

time and in such a place appeared far greater to her than to her husband.

"We must go soon or not at all this year," added Mrs. L. "Winter will overtake us in the wilderness before we are ready for it."

"It will not take long to pull up stakes and locate in Indiana when we once get started," responded Mr. Lincoln.

'Perhaps not; but it will be time enough to think of that after we sell," suggested his wife, as if she had little faith that a purchaser of their farm could be found. "We must learn to labour and wait."

"We've got that lesson pretty well learned now," responded Mr. Lincoln. "About all I've ever done is to labour and wait; and if I wait much longer I may lose what title I have to my land now, as others have."

"That is not impossible, as everybody about here knows," added Mrs. Lincoln.

"The chances are that the title to this place may prove worthless, judging from the experience of others," continued Mr. Lincoln. "A man don't know whether he owns an acre of land or not about here."

Great excitement prevailed in Kentucky relative to land-titles. Many settlers, after toiling for years for a livelihood, found their titles to their farms defective. The heirs of Daniel Boone were cheated out of every acre of land purchased by their illustrious ancestor. So many had experienced trouble and heavy losses in this way, that almost every landholder feared his title might prove invalid. Thomas Lincoln shared this fear in common with others. One of his biographers maintains that he removed to Indiana solely on this account; that the curse of slavery in Kentucky, or the advantages of freedom in the new State of Indiana, had nothing to do

with his decision.

reason.

But we beg leave to dissent from this conclusion. There can be no doubt that the uncertainty of land-titles in Kentucky was one important reason for his removal, but it was by no means the only Another reason, without doubt, was his love of change. His roving disposition was not entirely eradicated. But, more than all, the excitement over the making of another free State, with the rose-coloured views promulgated concerning the advantages of a free State to poor men like himself, influenced him to make the change. It is positive that he would not have removed to Indiana at all had it come into the Union as a Slave State. The general enthusiasm over its admission in the interest of freedom lured him thither, as it did hundreds of others. The very rapid immigration to that State, commencing immediately after its admission, is conclusive proof of this statement. The reason of his locating just where he did in Indiana was, probably, because a former acquaintance-Thomas Carter-had removed thither. But the next chapter will disclose the details of this affair.

III.

THE OLD HOME SOLD.

BOUT the middle of October (1816) a stranger appeared at the cabin. It was Colby.

"You want to sell your place, I hear," he remarked, after introducing himself.

"I'm thinkin' on't," answered Mr. Lincoln. "Gallaher told me that you would come to see me about it. So we've been expectin' you, and rather makin' arrangements to sell the farm. This is about what you would like?"

"Yes, from Mr. Gallaher's description of it. I can't handle much of a place; I'm too poor for that."

"In the same boat with the rest of us, then," suggested Mr. Lincoln. "Not much money in these diggin's. How much money can you put into a place?"

"Not much, just now. I must make a barter trade if I buy now. What's the damage for such a place as this?"

"Three hundred dollars," answered Mr. Lincoln, promptly. "That is the price I've settled on."

"Cash?"

"Yes; that's what I've been expectin', though I might take something else for part of the pay."

"Well, I haven't much money," continued Mr. Colby; "but I have what is as good as money in the market." "What is it?"

"You see I've been specilatin' a little since I gave

I used up my grain for

you a call in the summer. whiskey, and I bought some, too, thinkin' that I should make a spec out of it; but I hain't sold but a trifle on't yet. Now, if I could pay you mostly in whiskey, I would strike the bargain at once; and may be that over in Indiana you'll find a ready market for it."

"I hadn't thought of takin' pay in such an article," answered Mr. Lincoln; "and I don't know as I could ever sell it. I'm going to strike right into the wilderness."

"That may be; but you'll have neighbours within a few miles; and over there they hain't got the knack of manufacturin' it, I s'pose, and this would make it easier to sell it."

"It's awkward stuff to carry on such a trip, though I expect to move on a flat-boat."

"Just the easiest thing in the world to carry this; you can carry it as well as not on a boat. You won't have half a load of other stuff. And it will bring you double there what it will here, I'm thinkin'."

"That's all guess work."

"But don't it stand to reason that whiskey would bring more where they can't make it, as they can here?"

"Yes, I admit that it may probably bring more there, and it ought to bring more to pay for the trouble of taking it there. But can't you turn it into money

some way 7 ?”

"I don't see how I can; I've done the best I could about it. The fact is, the folks in this part of Kentucky have laid in largely for whiskey. I can sell it in time, I have no doubt, at a stiff price, but that won't help me just now."

"Of course not; but this is unexpected, though I'm determined to sell out at some rate. You look over

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