Page:Lives of the presidents in words of one syllable (1903).djvu/97

 made folks laugh. Good books were found at that time and they were read with joy.

When the Black Hawk war broke out, Lin-coln was quick to meet the call for men, and found all he could and went with them. The charge of these was put in his hands so he took them to the seat of war.

Rob-ert An-der-son, who in years to come was to hold sway at Fort Sum-ter when the first gun of the civ-il war was heard, met young Lin-coln and his small force. He led them to Col. Zach-a-ry Tay-lor, who went by the pet name of old "Rough and Read-y," and whose war boys and friends thought so much of him that they made him Pres-i-dent in 1848.

The Black Hawk war was short and the boys made a start for home. When Lin-coln was back at his work, the man for whom he kept the store found that he must give up, so the young clerk was out of a job. At that time a man of sense was to be put in a high place. Some friends thought Lin-coln would do well in it. At first he thought it strange that they should want him, but he said they might try to place him there if they would. He lost, by a few votes, but two years from that time he ran once more and got it. But in the mean while Lin-coln must find work for each day's needs. There came a chance to set up a store with a man. They kept it for a while, but it did not make much, and they had to fail. Lin-coln paid all the debts. He would not let folks lose.

Law books then came in the young man's way. A friend, miles off, was glad to lend them. Lin-coln chose queer spots in which to read these books. Some days he would sit down on a wood pile for this work. He would, too, lie