s he had been in his young
manhood. He suffered days of depression when he said little. Often, in
good company, be seemed to be thinking of things in no way connected
with the talk. Many called him a rather "shut-mouthed man."

Herndon used to say that the only thing he had against Lincoln was his
habit of coming in mornings and sprawling on the lounge and reading aloud
from the newspaper.

The people of the town loved him. One day as we were walking along the
street together we came upon a girl dressed up and crying in front of her
father's door.

"What's the matter?" Lincoln asked.

"I want to take the train and the wagon hasn't come for my trunk," said
she.

Lincoln went in and got the trunk and carried it to the station on his
back, with people laughing and throwing jokes at him as he strode along.
When I think of him his chivalry and kindness come first to mind.

He read much, but his days of book study were nearly ended. His learning
was now got mostly in the school of experience. Herndon says, and I think
it is true, that he never read to the end of a law book those days. The
study of authorities was left to the junior partner. His reading was
mostly outside the law. His knowledge of science was derived from
Chambers's _Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation_.

He was still afraid of the Abolition Movement in 1852 and left town to
avoid a convention of its adherents. He thought the effort to resist by
force the laws of Kansas was criminal and would hurt the cause of
freedom. "Let us have peace and revolutionize through the ballot-box,"
he urged.

In 1854 a little quarrel in New York began to weave the thread of
destiny. Seward, Weed and Greeley had wielded decisive power in the party
councils of that state. Seward was a high headed, popular idol. His plans
and his triumphant progress absorbed his thought. Weed was dazzled by the
splendor of this great star. Neither gave a thought to their able
colleague--a poor man struggling to build up a great newspaper. An
office, with fair pay, would have been a help to him those days. But he
got no recognition of his needs and talents and services. Suddenly he
wrote a letter to Weed in which he said:

"The firm of Seward, Weed and Greeley is hereby dissolved by the
resignation of its junior member."

When Greeley had grown in power and wisdom until his name was known and
honored from ocean to ocean, they tried to make peace with him, but in
vain.

The