Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/76

 It seems that some men who were at work on a mill-race in Cal-i-for-ni-a, dug out a trench and found bits in the rocks and sand which were bright as gold. They kept all they found and it was soon known to be gold. The news spread and hosts were wild to go there where they could pick up big sums right out of the dirt. Great flocks of men got there as soon as they could. It was a wild, mad race, and not a few found naught but a chance to leave their bones in that ground.

A great State soon grew up where but cloth tents had been, and, in years to come, her fruits, grains, wines, wool, oil, and woods were sent to all lands.

While Polk was Chief the Un-ion took in three new States, in two of which no slaves could be kept.

There were brave and good men at work at that time who were for "Free Soil." This meant that in our lands which were not yet States no one should, in all time, be held a slave. This brought on no end of talk and much ill will.

Polk did the best he could, and his wife, who came of well-to-do folks in Ten-nes-see, was a great help to him. All knew her to be one who was just and true. Mrs. Polk had a great love for her church, was kind to the poor, was well read, plain in dress, could speak with great ease, and all through her life naught that was ill could be said of her.

Pres-i-dent Polk, had said, from the first, that he did not wish to keep the chair more than the first four years. At the end, then, of the first term, he went to his home at Nash-ville, where he died in 1849, at the age of 54. The good wife was 88 at the time of her death in 1891.