eynold's call for a
thousand mounted volunteers to assist the United States troops in
driving Blackhawk back across the Mississippi. Lincoln enlisted in the
company from Sangamon county and was elected captain. He often remarked
that this gave him greater pleasure than anything that had happened in
his life up to this time. He had, however, no opportunities in this war
to perform any distinguished service.

Upon his return from the Blackhawk War, in which, as he said afterward,
in a humorous speech, when in Congress, that he "fought, bled and came
away," he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Legislature. This was
the only time in his life, as he himself has said, that he was ever
beaten by the people. Although defeated, in his own town of New Salem he
received all of the two hundred and eight votes cast except three.

FAILURE AS A BUSINESS MAN.

Lincoln's next business venture was with William Berry in a general
store, under the firm name of Lincoln & Berry, but did not take long
to show that he was not adapted for a business career. The firm failed,
Berry died and the debts of the firm fell entirely upon Lincoln. Many of
these debts he might have escaped legally, but he assumed them all
and it was not until fifteen years later that the last indebtedness of
Lincoln & Berry was discharged. During his membership in this firm he
had applied himself to the study of law, beginning at the beginning,
that is with Blackstone. Now that he had nothing to do he spent much of
his time lying under the shade of a tree poring over law books, borrowed
from a comrade in the Blackhawk War, who was then a practicing lawyer at
Springfield.

GAINS FAME AS A STORY TELLER.

It was about this time, too, that Lincoln's fame as a story-teller
began to spread far and wide. His sayings and his jokes were repeated
throughout that section of the country, and he was famous as a
story-teller before anyone ever heard of him as a lawyer or a
politician.

It required no little moral courage to resist the temptation that beset
an idle young man on every hand at that time, for drinking and carousing
were of daily and nightly occurrence. Lincoln never drank intoxicating
liquors, nor did he at that time use tobacco, but in any sports that
called for skill or muscle he took a lively interest, even in horse
races and cock fights.

SURVEYOR WITH NO STRINGS ON HIM.

John Calhoun was at that time surveyor of Sangamon county. He had