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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2y 1921 PAGE SIX THE INDEPENDENT, ELIZABETH CITY, N. C. A Man for the Ages 1 Story o e Builders of Democracy By Irving Bacheller OopjrIlit, Irrinf BmImOm CHAPTER XI. ' In Which Abe, Elected to the Leglsla- i ture, Gives What Comfort He Can to Ann Rutledge in the Beginning of Her Sorrow Also He Goes to Springfield for New Clothes. Radford's grocery had . been so wrecked by the raiders that Its owner was disheartened. Reinforced by J,onn Cameron and James Rutledge he had succeeded in drawing them away be fore they- could steal whisky enough to get drunk. But they had thrown much of his goods into the street. Radford mended his windows and of fered his stock for sale. After a time Berry and Lincoln bought it, giving notes in payment and applied for a license to sell the liquors they had thus acquired. Late that autumn a boy baby ar rived in the Traylor home. Mrs. On- stott. Mrs.. Waddell and Mrs. Kelso came to help and one or the other of them did the nursing and cooking while Sarah was in be'd and for a little time thereafter. The coming of the baby was a comfort to this lone ly mother of the prairies. There is a letter from Sarah to her brother dated May, 10, 1833, in which she sums up some months of history in the words that follow: "The Loud has given us a new son. I have lived through the ordeal- thanks to His goodness and am strong again. The coming of the baby has reconciled us to the loss of our old friends as much as anything could. It has made this little home dear to us and proved the quality of our new friends. Nothing is too much for them to do. I don't wonder that Abe Lin coln hs so much confidence in the people of this country. They are sound at heart, both the northerners and the southerners. Harry Needles is getting over his disappointment. He goes down to the store often to sit with Abe and Jack Kelso and hear them talk. He and Samson are get ting deeply interested in politics. Abe lets Harry read the books that he bor rows from Major Stuart of Springfield. The boy is bent on being a lawyer and Improving his mind. Bim Kelso writes to 'her mother fhat she is very hap py in her new home but there is some thing between the lines which seems to" indicate that sfee Is trying to put a good face on a bad matter. Abe has been appointed postmaster. Ev ery time -he leaves the store he takes the letters n his hat and delivers them as he gets a chance. We have named the new baby Samuel." One evening, of that summer, Abe came out to the Traylors' with a let ter in his hat for Sarah. "How's business?' Samson asked. "Going to peter out, I reckon," Abe answered with a sorrowful look. "It will leave me badly in debt. I want ed something that would give me a chance for study and I got It. By jing! It looks as If I was going to have years of study trying to get over it. Have you got any work to give me? Tou know I can split rails about as fast as the next man and I'll take my pay in wheat or corn." "Tou may give me all the time you can spend outside the store," sald Samson. That evening they had a talk about the whisky business and its relation, to the character of Ellphalet Biggs and to sundry infractions of law and order In their community. Samson had de clared that it was wrong to sell liquor. "All that kind of thing can be safe ly left to the common sense of our people," said Abe. "The remedy Is education, not revolution. Slowly the people will have to set down all the items in the ledger of common sense that passes from sire to son. By and by some generation will strike a bal ance. That may not come in a. hun dred years. Soon or late the major ity of the people will reach a reckon ing with John Barleycorn. If there's too much against him they will act. Tou might as well try to top a gla cier by building a dam In front of it. They have opened an account with slavery, too. By and by they'll de cide its fate." Such was his faith in the common folk of America whose way of learn ing and whose love of the right h knew as no man has known it In this connection' the New Eng lander wrote in his diary : "He k&s spent his boyhood In the South and his youcg manhood In the North. He has stunted the East and lived in the West. He is the people I sometimes think and about as slow to make up his mind. . As Isaiah says : He does not Judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hear ing of his ears. Abe has to think about it." " In April Abe wrote another aSSress to the voters announcing that he was again a candidate for a seat in the legislature. Late that, month Harry walked with him to Pappsville where a crowd had assembled to attend a public sale. At one plaee there were men in the crowd who knew Harry's record in the war. - They called on him for a speech. He spoke on the need or the means of transportation in Sangamon county with such insight and dignity and convincing candor that both Abe and the audience hailed him as a coming man. Abe and he were often seen together those days. In New Salem they were called the disappointed lovers. It was known there that Abe was very fond of Ann Rutledge, although he had not, as yet, ; openJy confessed to any one not even to Ann there Telhg no show 61 hope for him. Ann was deeply in love with John McNeil the; genial, handsome and 'successful young Irishman. The affair had reached the stage of frank ness, of an open discussion of plans, of fond affection expressing Itself In caresses quite Indifferent to ridicule. vFor Ann it had been like warm sun light on the growing rose. She was neater In dress, lovelier In form and color, more graceful in movement and sweeter-voiced than ever she had been. It is the old way that -Nature has of preparing the young to come out upon the stage of real life and to act In Its moving scenes. Abe manfully gave them his best wishes and when he spoke' of Ann it 'was done very ten derly. The look of sadness, whicn au Mhad noted in his moments of abstrac tion, deepened and often - covered his If ace with its veil. That Is another way that Nature has of preparing the . . ; young. or tnese tne roses nave iuen and only the thorns remain. They are not lured ; they seem to be driven to their tasks, but for all, soon or late, her iethod changes. On a beautiful morning of June, 1834, John McNeil left the village. Abe Lincoln and Harry and Samson and Sarah and Jack Kelso and his wife stood with the Rutledges In the dooryard of the tavern when he rode away. He was going back to nis home In the East to return In the au tumn and make Ann his bride. The girl wept as If her heart would break when he turned far down the roac and waved his hand to her. "Oh, my pretty lass ! Do you not hear the birds singing in the mead ows?" said Jack Kelso. "Think of the happiness all around you and of the greater happiness that Is coming when he returns. Sname on you!" 'Tm afraid he'll never come back," Ann sobbed.- "Nonsense! Don't get a maggot In your brain and let the crows go walk ing over your face. Come, we'll take a ride in the meadows and if I don't bring you back laughing you may eall me no prophet." So the event passed. Harry traveled about with Abe a good deal that summer, "electioneer ing," as they called it, from farm to farm. Abe used to go Into the fields, vrifh the men whose favor he sought, and bend his long back over a scythe or a cradle and race them playfully across the field of grain cutting a wider swath than any other and al ways holding the lead. Every man was out of breath at the end of his swath and needed a few minutes for recuperation. That gave Abe a chance for his statement of the county's needs and his plan of satisfying them. He had met and talked with a. majority of the voters before the campaign ended in his election In August. At odd times that summer he had been surveying a new road with Har ry Needles for his helper. In Sep tember they resumed their work upon it in the vicinity of New Salem and Abe began to carry the letters In his hat again. Every day Arm was look Ing for him as he came by In the dim light of the early morning on his way to work. "Anything for me?" she would ask. "No mail in since I saw you, Ann, was the usual answer. Oftn e would say: 'Tm afraid not, but here you take these letters and look through 'em and make 'sure. Ann would take them in her hands, trembling' with eagerness, and run In doors to the candlelight, and look them over. Always she came back with the little bundle of letters very slowly as if her disappointment were a heavy burden. There'll be one next mail if I have to write It myself," Abe said one morning in October as he went on. To Harry Needles, who was with him that morning, he said: I wonder why that fellow don't write to Ann. I couldn't believe that he has been fooling her, but , now I don't know what to think of him. I" wonder what has happened to the fellow." The mail stage was late that eve ning. As it had not come at nine Mr. Hill went home and left Abe in' the store to wait for his mail. The stage arrived a few minutes later. Abe ex amined the little bundle of letters and newspapers which the driver had left with him. Then he took a Daper and sat down to read In the firelight. While he was thus engaged the door opened jsoftly and Ann Rutledge en tered. The postmaster was not aware of her presence until she touched his arm. Please give me a letter," she. said. Sit down, Ann," said he, very gent ly, as he placed a chair in the fire- glow. She took it, turning . toward him with a look of fear aid hope. Then he added: Tm sorry, but the truth is it didn't come, it is terrible, Ann, that I have to help in this breaking of your heart that is going on. I sem to be the head of the hammer tbfet hits you so hard, but the handle is In other hands. Honestly, Ann, I wish I could do the suffering for you every bit of it and give your poor heart a rest. Hasn't he written you this summer?" Not since July tenth," she an swered. .Then she confided to Abe thatjier lover told her before he went away that his name was not McNeil but McNamar; that he had changed his name to keep clear of his family until he had made a success; that he had gone East to get his father and mother and bring them back with him;, lastly she came to the thing that worried her most the suspicion of her father and mother that John was not honest. "They say that he probably had a wife when he came here that that is why he don't write to me. Then after a little silence she, plead ed: "Ton don't think, that, do you, Abe?" - No," said the latter, giving her the advantage of every doubt. "John did a foolish thing, but we must not condemn him without a knowledge of the facts. The young often do foolish things and sickness would account for his silence. You go home and go to sleep and stop worrying, Ann. You'll get that -letter one of . thesef days.'' V . A day or two later Abe and Harry went to Springfield. Their Ireason for the trip lay In a talk between the post--master and Jack Kelso the nijrht be- Tota -5 - EEev "SSI "By TBe latter's fire side. ' . .' ; 'Tve been " living where there was no one to flndvfault with my parts of speech or with the parts of my legs which were '. not decently covered, said Abe. "The sock district of my person, las been without representa tion In the' legislature of my intellect ilp to its last session. Then we got a bill through for Jocal improvements and . the governor has ' approved the appropriation. Suddenly we ;; .discov ered that there was no money in the treasury. But Samson traylor has offered to buy an issue of bonds of the amount of( fifteen dollars." Tm glad to hear you declare ' In favor of " external improvements" said Kelso. "We've all been too much ab-. sorbed by internal improvements. You're on the right trail, Abe. .You've been thinking of he public ear and too little of the public eye. We must show some respect for both.!, "Sometimes I think that comely dress ought to go with 'comely dic tion," said Abe. "But that's a , thing you can't learn in books. There's no grammarian of the language of dress. Then I'm so' big and awkward. It's a rather hopeless problem." ;- "You're In good company," Kelso assured him. "Nature guards her best men with some sort of singularity, not attractive tr others. Often she makes' them odious with conceit or deformity or dumbness or garrulity. Dante was such a poor talker that no one would ever ask him to dinner. If It had not been so I. presume his muse would have been sadly crippled by indigestion. If you had been a good dancer and a lady's favorite, I wonder If you would have studied Klffcham and Burns anil Shakespeare and Blackstone and Starkle, and the science of surveying and been elected to the, legislature. I wonder if you could even have whipped Jack Arm strong." "Or have enjoyed the friendship of Bill Berry and acquired a national debt, or have saved my Imperiled country in the war with Black Hawk," Abe laughed. In the matter of dress the postmas ter had great confidence In the taste and knowledge of his young friend, Harry Needles,, whose neat appear ance Abe regarded with serious ad miration. So he asked Harry to go with him on his new mission and help to choose the goods and direct the tailoring, for it seemed to him a high ly important enterprise. ."Our appropriation is- only fifteen dollars," said Abe as they came in sight of "the big village" on a warm bright day late in October. . ''Of course, I can't expect to make myself look like thf President of the United States with such a sum, but I want to look like a resgectable citizen of the United States, if that is possible. Ill give the old Abe and fifteen dollars to boot for a new one and we'll see what comes of it." Springfield had been rapidly chang ing. It was still small and crude, but some of the best standards of civiliza tion had been set up In that commun ity. Families 'of wealth and culture in the East had sent their sons and a share of their capial to this little metropolis of the land ef plenty to go into busisvess. Handsome, well-groomed horses. In silver-mounted , harness, drawing carriages that shone "so you could see your face in them," to quote from Abe again, were on its streets. The two New Salem men stopped and studied a big sign In front of a large store on which this announce ment had been lettered: "Cloths, cassinettes, cassimeres, eV vet silks, satins, Marseilles waistcoat Ing, fine, calf boots, seal and morocco pumps for gentlemen1, crepe lisse. laee veils. Thibet shawls, fine prunella shoes." "Reads like a foreign language to me," said Abe. "How. would you like a little Marseilles walstcoatlng?" Suddenly a man touched his shoul der with a haarty "Howdy, Abe?" It was Ell, "the Wandering Jew," as he had been wont to call himself In the days .when he carried a pack on the road through Peter's Bluff and j Clary's, Grove and New Salem to Beardstown and back. "Dis is my store," said Eli. "Your store!" Abe exclaimed. "Ya, kok at de sign." The Jew pointed to his sign-board, some fifty feet long under the cornice, on which they read the legend : "Eli Fredenberg's Emporium." Abe looked him over from head to foot and exclaimed: . ) "My conscience! You look as if you had been fixed up to be sold to the highest bidder." The hairy, dusty, bow-legged, thread bare peddler had been touched by some miraculous hand. The lavish hand of the West had showered her favors on him.. They resembled in some degree the .barbaric pearl and gold of the East. 'He glowed with prosperity. Diamonds and ruffled lin en and Scotch plaid and red silk on his neck and a bine band on his hat and a smoothtShorn face and perfum ery were tfae guttering details that surrounded the person ef Eli. "Coine in," urged : the genial pro prietor of the Emporium. "I vould like to show. you my goots and introduce you to my brudder." In the men's department after much thoughtful discussion they decided up on a, suit of blue jeans that being the only goods which, in view of the amount of cloth required, came with in the appropriation. Ell advised against; It. "You are like EH already," he said. "You haf got de pack off your' back. Look at me. Don't you hear my cloths say somet'lng?" - "They are very eloquent," said Abe. "Veil, dey make a speech.' Dey say: EH Fredenberg he Is no more a poor devil. You cannot sneeze at him once again. Nefer. He. has"! climb de lad der 'up. Now you let me, sell you somet'lng vat makes a good speech for you." ; 1 - - "If you let .me dictate the speech I'll agree," said Abe.' "Veil vat is it?" Eli asked. ; -7 "I would like my clothes to say in a low, tone of voice: 'This Is humble Abraham Lincoln, about the . same lengtn and breadth that I am. . He don tr want to scare or astonish any body. He , don't want to look" like a beggarpr a .millionaire. Just: put Mm down for ;a hard-working man of good Intentions who is - badly In debtV"j, - That endedall argument. -The suit of . blue Jeans was ordered "and the measures taken, y As they were; about; to go . Eli ': said: :':.:-; '- '?v!'': ' i "I f orgot to tell you dot I haf seen Blm Kelso de odder day In St. Louis. I haf -seen, her oh destreet. : ; She, has been like a queen so. ! grand ! De hat and gown from Paris, and she yalk so proud! But she look not so happy like she uslt to be. . I speak to her. Oh my,' she vas glad and so surprised! She tolt me dot she vould like to come for a visit but her h osband he does not yant her to go dere nefer again. My jobber haf tolt me dot Mr, Biggs is git drunk efery day. .Bim she fink de place no good." ' - t V "Poor" child!' said Abe. "I'm afraid she's lii trouble. ' Her parents have be- eun to snsnccf that something is. wrong.- Thp-- ,' "; heen invited to go down there and visit the girl. I ' reckon we'd better say nothing to any one of - what we have heard, . at presentY . They' reached New Salem in. the middle of the night and went into Rut ledge's barn and lay down .on the haymow between two buffalo hides un til morning. , , . NOW read the netft Installment which will appear In next week's issue of THE INDEPENDENT. HOME BOY IN PULPIT OF . FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH At the Sunday services, morning and evening, at the First . Baptist church the. pulpit was filled by Rev. W.T. Hal stead. Mr. . Halstead . is a" Pasquotank County boy who graduated several years ago from the Baptist Theological Sem Inary at Louisville, Ky., and was soon afterwani called to the pastorate ' of the First Baptist chiireh ot Summerville, S C, where he is still located. Together with his wife ' and family, he left Mon day morning for his home, spending his vacation with his father, W. A. Halstead on West Cypress' street, and with other relatives and friends in this section. Mrs. Keach Tells How She Got to Know Rat-Snap "Have always feared rats. Lately noticed many on my farm. A neighbor said he just got rid of droves with RAT SNAP. This started me thinking. Tried RAT-SNAP myself. It killed 17 and scared the rest away." RAT-SNAP comes in three sizes, 35c, 63c, $1.23. Sold and guaranteed by Culpepper Hardware Store, City Drug Store, G. W. Twiddy, John C. Bond, Edenton; W. A. Leggett, Edenton ; Sawyer's ' General Store, Camden. STOP! LOOK! READ! Have your suits cleaned, pressed and dyed, and hats' cleaned and blocked; caps also cleaned and pressed. French dry cleaning a specialty. Hats eleaned and locked while yos wait by the only hat machine in Elizabeth City. Any style blocks to fit any hat. Price, 75c. At L. W. SMITH'S Pressing Establishment WORK CALLED, FOR AND DELIVERED Phone SI4. 2 S. Road Street CHATS WITH YOUR GAS MAN "Your gas blackens my cooking1 utensils," exclaim-" ed a housewife the - other day. ' We investigated and one look at her gas range was enough. It had not been properly cleaned in weeks, perhaps in months. The top, burners were dirty and greasy, the holes to the air mixers were partially clog ged and when the gas was . lighted it buraed with a long, yellow, smoky flame. An hour later you wouldn't have known that range. The holes to the air mixers had been cleaned eut and the burners ha been washed in a strong solution of hot water and washing soda and then carefully . rinsed and replaced. When the gas . was lighted, It burned with a dear, blue, feath ery flame. . . . Often as ' im this case, v blame is placed upon the gas supplied when in reality the trouble is caused by the -manner, in which . the gas is being burned. . .' 1 How Clean Is Your Gas Range? .. ; x - SOUTHERN GAS IMPROVEMENT CO. "they'say that gas can , " ; do - it better" ' ' Wall Paper, 15c Piece .Gilt, I! a cents a piece -:Z Window Shades, 70 V . cents a piece. ;s . " THOMAS & MESSER CO.V 1 0 1 5 W. Baltimore St. Baltimore, Md. About Colors. Is your room small? Then avoid yellow and red in its furnishing. They r warm : colors and make . a i room look small. Use grays and violets t .give a;i4roomy .effect.': v,1; v.'; .Checkers Played by the Ancients. The game of checkers is very an cient,.' being known to the : Egyptians, Greeks and .Romans. It w.as played in Europe in the Sixteenth century. An ( old form of .checkers Is known in China as "the game of clrcumvenridn. LABOR DAY EXCURSION , TO , NORFOLK, VA. AND VIRGINIA BEACH via -: ' t NORFOLK SOUTHERN, . R. R. ROUND TRIP FARES (War Tax in addition) . From . To To . Norfolk Va. Beach ' Edenton $1.52 Hertford 2X)4 Eliz. City 1.66 Camden 1.56 , . Snowden . 1.50 Hickory Gd. 1.38 $2.29 2.81 2.43' 2.33 2.27 2.10 Corresponding low' fares from all inter mediate Agency stations. . Not good when fares are. paid on trains. - ' Tickets on sale Monday. Sept. 5 th, lim ited for return to date of sale. For full information apply. . to your nearest . Norfolk Southern- K.- B. Ticket Agent. - Aug.26-2t PRITCHARD'S Soy Bean Harvester Sold on 2 Years Time Can supply your wants la either the Pritchard or Jumbo mddels for immediate delivery. Geo. E. Pritchard, Mfgr. Elizabeth City, N. C. KODAK FINISHING ' Let us have those vacation films you shot up. Can give you your favorite finish, either glossy or dull. Zoeller's Studio Over First & Citz. Nat 'I Bank. Good hard brick for immediate delivery by rail en barge or schooner' at our Shiloh wharf.- t For prices and further infor mation Shiloh Brick Works E. R. WAINWIC3GHT, Prop. SHILOH, - N. C. p.Je3-3mos. 1 n 1 , r -A Subjects taught at the ELIZABETH CITY BUSINESS COLLEGE BOOK KEEPING i SHORT HAND TYPEWRITING ENGLISH COMMERCIAL LAW MULT1GRAPHING We fit you for a first class pesi 1921. HEAD COMFORT Eye strain Is the cause of the majority of headaches. Permanent relief uan be v obtained by the wearing of glasses. Dr. J. W. Selig OPTOMETRIST 521 MAIN STREET 22 HOURS TO THE GALLON No invention of Vecent years can possibly mean as much to the American housewife as the That's the ! ACORN OH Stove. ' newly perfected ACORN POW- ERHEAT OIL RANGE with v its "Flame , Within a Flame." ; .Our Special Price to hn- , troduce ," ths " wonderful : : 4-burner ; Acorn - Power Heat Oil Range Ay "irii $20.00 Let us show you the' ; 1 ' . ; ''.,; , .- stove. ' M. G. Mor risette & Co. '' EXCLUSIVE DEALERS Main St. Jy.l5-tf : Elizabeth City, N. C. , . A GROWING CONCERN Farmers9 Ginning &' Produce Co. A CO-OPERATIVE ENTERPRISE - V TRY US. FOR SHINGLES 4 LUMBER We 'operate our own saw rmill, feed mill and cotton ain and barrel factory. t J ' , . ' - ' We sell seed, feed and fertilizers. If you have never done business witlT us,, pay us a visit and look us over. ; , 1 , Farmers' Ginning & Produce Co. INCORPORATED ' K.J R. WINSLOW, Manager W. Main Street. , ' Elizabeth City, N. C. Phone 572 Let Padgett Help You Solve Your Heating Problem Your heatFng problem is not solved with the Installation of a heat ing system if you do not get. the right system for your particular job and get. it Installed right In the first place. My experience and knowl. edge of every type of heating adapted to this climate Is at your dis posal an experience of 30 years practically acquired. . The best heating Jobs In Elizabeth City are te my credit. Among them are the Hinton Building, First National Bank, the Savings Bank & Trust Co. Building, Blackwell Memorial Baptist Church, the new First Methodist Church South, and' the best homes in the city. Hinton BIdgr. CHOW A N C OLLEGE MURFREESBORO, N. C ' Established 1848. Four years college work. A. B. and B. S. De grees. Fifteen units entrance requirement. ' Piano, Voice, Violin, Ex pression, Art, Commercial, Home; Economics. . AH standards raised. Interior and exterior beauty unexcelled .in the state. Girls thoroughly protected and happy... State requirements for teachers', certificates met. College Academy work begins with ninth grade. Highest standard ef Christian Culture. (College and University, trained faculty. t Session opens September 7th. Write PRESTON S. VAN N, tf. Ask About Electric Plant JHB impossible has happened. Here is a complete eysfcric plant so low in pric Oat every one can now enjoy elec tricity. It is built on a quality basis and sold at a quantity price; large enough for lights and small power uses; run by . the wonderful Auto-Lite A $295 enffine-geaeratOT. Call apt! , Knight engine that im- w . tsJH gladly ' explain proves with use. Act now foG& I own this better elec tric plant, j . A'. yfr. H A M P T O N WATERJLILY, N. C. . . - OBAIJER FOR . Carirack, Camden, Paaquotank Chowan and Perquimait Counties' Let me send Demonstrator to your Home before pur chasing a Ught and Power Plant - E. C CONGER, Mgr. FENCE POSTS J. S. PADGETT HEATING ENGINEER v Elizabeth City, N. C President. Save $525 JJ OW is the time to , save by baying Willys Light, the power, and light plant with' ity advan tages. Long . experience gives you a quality prod uct large production gives you a quantity price. One of its exclusive fea tures is the famous Willys- Ub KnbwYbur Wants -Buy We Will Take Care of You The installation . of . new and im proved ice-makinsr machinery and i a thoro oTerhauImg of our plant enaWes us to give ybu the quality :-v ert y vill appreciate. ;,, j'i?;;:agrgred: Ice a; Spexaaltsr. EKzabeth?CityN, C if Z 6.;, V .-"tr