right--on the waterway to the north and east, with
good country on three sides and transportation on the other. It can go
into partnership with Steam Power right away and begin to do business.
Your grain and pork can go straight from there to Albany and New York and
Boston and Baltimore without being rehandled. When railroads come--if
they ever do--Steam Power will be shoving grain and meat and passengers
into Chicago from every point of the compass."

Abe Lincoln turned to Sarah and said: "This is a growing country. You
ought to see the cities springing up there in the Legislature. I was
looking with great satisfaction at the crop when Samson came along one
day and fell on it. He was like a frost in midsummer."

"The seed was sown too early," Samson rejoined. "You and I may live to
see all the dreams of Vandalia come true."

"And all the nightmares, too," said the young statesman.

"Yes, we're going to wake up and find a cold morning and not much to eat
in the house and the wolf at the door, but we'll live through it."

Then the young statesman proposed: "If you are going with Harry, I'll go
along and see what they've done on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Some
contractors who worked on the Erie Canal will start from Chicago Monday
to look the ground over and bid on the construction of the southern end
of it. I want to talk with them when they come along down the line."

"I guess a few days in the saddle would do you good," said Samson.

"I reckon it would. I've been cloyed on house air and oratory and future
greatness. The prairie wind and your pessimism will straighten me up."

Harry rode to the village that afternoon to get "Colonel" and Mrs. Lukins
to come out to the farm and stay with Sarah while he and Samson were
away. Harry found the "Colonel" sitting comfortably in a chair by the
door of his cabin, roaring with laughter. He had not lived up to his
title and was still generally known as "Bony" Lukins.

"What are you roaring at?" Harry demanded.

The "Colonel" was dumb with joy for a moment. Then, with an effort, he
straightened his face and managed to say: "Laughin' just 'cause I'm
alive." The words were followed by a kind of spiritual explosion followed
by a silent ague of merriment. It would seem that his brain had
discovered in the human comedy some subtle and persuasive jest which had
gone over the heads of the crowd. Yet Harry seemed to catch it, for he,
too, began to laugh with the fortunate "C