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 to 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 Kirkham and Burns and Shakespeare and
Blackstone and Starkie, and the science of surveying and been elected to
the Legislature. I wonder if you could even have whipped Jack Armstrong."

"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 Postmaster had great confidence in the taste
and knowledge of his young friend, Harry Needles, whose neat appearance
Abe regarded with serious admiration. So he asked Harry to go with him on
this new mission and help to choose the goods and direct the tailoring,
for it seemed to him a highly important enterprise.

"It's a difficult problem," said Abe. "Given a big man and a small sum
and the large amount of respectability that's desired. We mustn't make
a mistake."

They got a ride part of the way with a farmer going home from Rutledge's
Mill.

"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 the President of the
United States with such a sum but I want to look like a respectable
citizen of the United States if that is possible. I'll 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 changing. It was still small and crude but
some of the best standards of civilization had been set up in that
community. Families of wealth and culture in the East had sent their
sons and a share of their capital to this little metropolis of the land
of plenty to go into business. The Edwardses in their fine top boots
and ruffled shirts were there. So were certain of the Ridgleys of
Maryland--well known and successful bankers. The Logans and the Conklings
and the Stuarts who had won reputations at the bar