_ ye heard the news?"

"No. What?--nothing bad, I hope?"

"_He's_ hung out his shingle."

"Where?"

"In Springfield."

"In Springfield?"

"Yes, elder, I've seen it. I have traveled a good deal since I saw
you--'round to camp-meetin', and fairs, rightin' things, and doin' all
the good I can. I've seen it. And, elder, they've made a mock Mason on
him."

In the pioneer days of Illinois the making of mock Masons, or _pseudo_
Sons of Malta, was a popular form of frolic, now almost forgotten. Young
people formed mock lodges or secret societies, for the purpose of
initiating new members by a series of tricks, which became the jokes of
the community.

"Yes," said Aunt Olive, "and what do ye think they did? Well, in them
societies they first test the courage of those who want to be new
members. There's Judge Ball, now; when they tested his courage, what do
you think? They blindfolded him, and turned up his blue jean trousers
about the ankles, and said, 'Now let out the snakes!' and they took an
elder-bush squirt-gun and squirted water over his feet; and the water
was cold, and he thought it was snakes, and he jumped clear up to the
cross-beams on the chamber floor, and screamed and screamed, and they
wouldn't have him."

Jasper had never heard of these rude methods of making jokes and odd
stories in the backwoods.

"What did they do to test Abraham's courage?" he asked.

"I don't know--blindfolded him and dressed him up like a donkey, and led
him up to a lookin'-glass, and made him promise that he would never tell
what he saw, and then _on_bandaged his eyes--or something of that kind.
His courage stood the test. Of course it did; no matter what they might
have done, no one could frighten Abe. But he got the best o' them."

"How?"

"He took up a collection for a poor woman that he had met on the way,
and proposed to change the society into a committee for the relief of
the poor and sufferin'."

"That shows his heart again."

"I knew that you would say that, elder."

"Everything that I hear of Lincoln shows how that his character grows.
It is my daily prayer that Waubeno may hear of how he saved Main-Pogue.
It would change the heart of Waubeno. He will know of it some day, and
then he will fulfill his promise to me."

The Tunker sat down in the door under the blooming cherry-trees, and
Aunt Olive brought a tray of food, and they ate their supper there.

[Illustration: SARAH BUSH LINCOLN, ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S