his decided stand against intoxicants that caused his mother to say, “I think Abe carries his temperance notions to extremes.”

It was arranged that Pritchard should take the article to the editor of a political paper for publication; and in due time it appeared, much to the satisfaction of Mr. Wood, the joy of Abraham, and the pride of the neighbourhood. Abraham wrote other articles which he submitted to the examination of Mr. Wood; and the exercise of writing composition became to him an excellent discipline, and did much to help him upward and onward.

A Mr. Richardson, who lived in the vicinity at that time, says,—

“Abe was the best penman in the neighbourhood. One day, while he was on a visit to my mother’s, I asked him to write some original copies for me. He very willingly consented. He wrote several of them, but one of them I have never forgotten, although a boy at the time. It was this:—

Abraham came into the possession of a copybook (not the scrap-book spoken of), in which he wrote original copies. Here is one:—

In the same book he wrote the following:—

Many such “pieces,” in poetry and prose, he wrote, exhibiting thought, genius, noble aspirations, and marked talents.

We have intimated that Abraham’s love of books prevented his becoming a hunter. He could not spare the time. If he were not at work he had a book in his hand. Other boys became hunters. It was necessary for them to be in order to procure food and a livelihood. Dennis Hanks says, “When we had spare time we picked up the rifle, and brought in a fine deer or turkey; and in the winter time we went coon-hunting, for coonskins were considered legal tender, and deerskins and hams.” The woods were full of rabbits, partridges, squirrels, and other game, but these were not shot much for food. Deer and turkeys were more desirable for the larder. The smaller game mentioned was so plentiful that the settlers resorted to various devices to destroy them. They devastated gardens and grain-fields, and the pioneers made war upon them as a nuisance.

Bears, wild-cats, and panthers, also, were quite numerous, and these were shot in self-defence. The scream of the latter often filled the forest with terror at night in Abraham’s early life. Yet our hero never did much at hunting. A book, instead of a gun, captivated his heart, and he read and studied when other boys hunted and had rare sport. We do not mean that he never engaged in this pastime; for he did occasionally accompany companions upon hunting excursions. But, compared with the average boy of the county, he was not a hunter.

Abraham enjoyed certain “plays” and games more than he did hunting. His social qualities and genuine humour fitted him for this sphere more than for the other. These “plays,” without Abraham, were the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out. He made things lively by his wit and geniality. Exactly what the “plays” were, we cannot affirm: we can only give their names as furnished by Dennis Hanks. “Throwing the mall,” “cat,” “four-corner bull-pen,” “hopping and half-hammon,” and “Sister Feby,” an evening game. Whatever these “plays” were, Abraham was “a bright particular star” in them, whenever and wherever his presence could be secured.