Page:Life and Works of Abraham Lincoln, v1.djvu/71

Rh the midst of uttering when the accident took place. In after life he was fond of speculating upon this psychological phenomenon.

One of the early settlers paints the moral portrait of this region in the primitive days of its settlement in sombre colors. "The settlers were very sociable and accommodating, but there was more drunkenness and larceny on a small scale, more immorality, less religion, less confidence."

One of Mr. Lincoln's youthful characteristics, and one which adhered to him through life, was his uniform kindness to any and all living things. A favorite pastime with boys of Pigeon Creek was to catch a mud "terkle," and put a live coal on his back in order to enjoy the diversion of witnessing him writhe with pain. The youthful humanitarian was wont to inveigh, in emphatic terms, against this barbarism; sometimes putting his thoughts and monitions on paper, and reading them to the boys. Another peculiarity of his youth and manhood alike was a habit of superficial and desultory reading. A short book he might read entirely through; a long one he would read conscientiously for a few chapters, and then skim through the rest. Such books as Weems's "Washington" he would read through consecutively; "Robinson Crusoe" he would not read by rote, but would select chapters to suit his fancy, and ultimately, perhaps, read all; "&AElig;sop's Fables" and Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" he would read in patches.

He was inordinately fond of books, but was not fond of consuming a great amount of time with any particular one, at any one time. A specifically verbose book he never read clear through, unless at wide intervals of time. He was prone