Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance Read online

  Produced by Mark C. Orton, Janet Blenkinship and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

  ~WEEKLY READER~

  Children's Book Club

  Education Center . Columbus 16, Ohio

  PRESENTS

  ~Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance~

  _by_ ~FRANCES CAVANAH~

  _illustrated by_ Paula Hutchison

  RAND McNALLY & COMPANY

  CHICAGO . NEW YORK . SAN FRANCISCO

  _This book is dedicated to my grandnephew_

  ~PHILIP JAN NADELMAN~

  ~WEEKLY READER Children's Book Club Edition, 1959~

  COPYRIGHT (c) 1959 BY RAND McNALLY & COMPANY

  COPYRIGHT 1959 UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT UNION

  BY RAND McNALLY & COMPANY

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  PRINTED IN U.S.A.

  BY AMERICAN BOOK-STRATFORD PRESS, INC., N.Y.

  A LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 59-5789

  In writing this story of Abraham Lincoln, the author depended primarilyon Lincoln's own statements and on the statements of his family andfriends who had firsthand knowledge of his everyday life. In instanceswhen dialogue had to be imagined, the conversation might logically havetaken place in the light of known circumstances. Such descriptivedetails as were necessarily added were based on authentic accounts ofpioneer times.

  F.C.

  Map of States where Lincoln was born and lived]

  1

  There was a new boy baby at the Lincoln cabin! By cracky! thought DennisHanks as he hurried up the path, he was going to like having a boycousin. They could go swimming together. Maybe they could play Indian.Dennis pushed open the cabin door.

  "Where is he?" he shouted. "Where is he?"

  "Sh!" A neighbor, who had come in to help, put her finger to her lips."The baby is asleep."

  Nancy Lincoln was lying on the pole bed in a corner of the one-roomhouse. She looked very white under the dark bearskin covering, but whenshe heard Dennis she raised her head. "It's all right, Denny," she said."You can see him now."

  Dennis tiptoed over to the bed. A small bundle, wrapped in a homespunshawl, rested in the curve of Nancy's arm. When she pulled back theshawl, Dennis could not think of anything to say. The baby was sowrinkled and so red. It looked just like a cherry after the juice hadbeen squeezed out.

  Nancy touched one of the tiny hands with the tip of her finger. "See hiswee red fists and the way he throws them around!" she said.

  "What's his name?" Dennis asked at last.

  "We're calling him after his grandpappy. Abraham Lincoln!"

  "That great big name for that scrawny little mite?"

  Nancy sounded hurt. "Give him a chance to grow, will you?"

  Then she saw that Dennis was only teasing. "You wait!" she went on. "Itwon't be long before Abe will be running around in buckskin breeches anda coonskin cap."

  "Well, maybe--"

  The door opened, and Tom Lincoln, the baby's father, came in. With himwas Aunt Betsy Sparrow. She kissed Nancy and carried the baby over to astool by the fireplace. Making little cooing noises under her breath,she dressed him in a white shirt and a yellow flannel petticoat. SallyLincoln, two years old, who did not know quite what to make of the newbrother, came over and stood beside her. Dennis drew up another stooland watched.

  Aunt Betsy looked across at him and smiled. Dennis, an orphan, livedwith her and she knew that he was often lonely. There weren't manypeople living in Kentucky in the year 1809, and Dennis had no boys toplay with.

  "I reckon you're mighty tickled to have a new cousin," she said.

  "I--I guess so," said Dennis slowly.

  "Want to hold him?"

  Dennis was not quite sure whether he did or not. Before he could answer,Aunt Betsy laid the baby in his arms. Sally edged closer. She started toput out her hand, but pulled it back. Abraham was so small that she wasafraid to touch him.

  "Don't you fret, Sally," said Dennis. "Cousin Nancy said that he isgoing to grow. And when he does, do you know what I'm going to do? I'mgoing to teach him to swim."

  Looking down into the tiny red face, Dennis felt a sudden warm glow inhis heart. "Yes, and we can go fishing down at the creek. When I go tothe mill to get the corn ground, he can come along. He can ride behindme on the horse, and when it goes cloppety-clop--"

  Dennis swung the baby back and forth. It puckered up its face and beganto cry. Dennis caught his breath in dismay. How could such a large noisecome out of such a small body?

  "Here, Aunt, take him quick!"

  He looked at Cousin Nancy out of the corner of his eye. "I reckon he'llnever come to much."

  "Now, Dennis Hanks, I want you to behave," said Aunt Betsy, but thistime Nancy paid no attention to his teasing. She held out her arms forher son and cuddled him against her breast.

  "As I told you," she said gaily, "you have to give him a chance togrow."

  It was almost dark by the time Aunt Betsy had tidied the one-roomcabin. She cooked some dried berries for Nancy, and fed Sally. Dennisbegged to spend the night. After his aunt had put on her shawl and leftfor her own cabin, he curled up in a bearskin on the floor.

  "Denny," asked Nancy, "what day is this?"

  "It's Sunday--"

  "I mean what day of the month."

  "I don't rightly know, Cousin Nancy."

  "I remember now," she went on. "It is the twelfth day of February.February 12, 1809! Little Abe's birthday!"

  Outside the wind rose, whistling through the bare branches of the trees.There was a blast of cold air as the door opened. Tom came in, his armspiled high with wood. He knelt on the dirt floor to build up the fire,and the rising flames lit the log walls with a faint red glow.

  "Are you glad it's a boy, Tom?" Nancy asked as he lay down beside her."I am."

  "Yes," said Tom, but when she spoke to him again, he did not answer. Hewas asleep. She could see his tired face in the firelight. Life had beenhard for Tom; it was hard for most pioneers. She hoped that theirchildren would have things a little easier. The baby whimpered, and sheheld him closer.

  Denny's voice piped up: "Cousin Nancy, will Abe ever grow to be as bigas me?"

  "Bigger'n you are now," she told him.

  "Will he grow as big as Cousin Tom?"

  "Bigger'n anybody, maybe."

  Nancy looked down at her son, now peacefully asleep. She made a song forhim, a song so soft it was almost a whisper: "Abe--Abe," she crooned."Abe Lincoln, you be going to grow--and grow--and grow!"