8
Abe sat up late, holding his book close to the flickering flames in thefireplace. As the rain drummed on the roof, his thoughts were far away.He was with General Washington in a small boat crossing the DelawareRiver on a cold Christmas night many years before. He was fighting thebattle of Trenton with a handful of brave American soldiers. They musthave wanted very much to be free, he decided, to be willing to fight sohard and suffer so much.
"Isn't it getting too dark for you to see?" Sarah called sleepily.
"Yes, Mamma."
Carefully Abe placed the precious little volume between two logs in thewall of the cabin. This was his bookcase. As he climbed into the loft hewondered if the book told about the time George Washington becamePresident. He would have to wait until morning to find out.
He was up early. But his face grew pale when he reached for the book.During the night the rain had leaked in on it through a crack in thelogs. The pages were wet and stuck together. The binding was warped.Sally was starting down the path toward the Crawford cabin when Abecalled after her.
"Wait! I'm coming with you."
He thrust the book inside his buckskin shirt. Sally tried to comforthim, but Abe kept wondering what Mr. Crawford was going to say. He was alittle scared of Josiah. Some of the boys called him "Old Bluenose"because of the large purple vein on the side of his nose. It made himlook rather cross. He probably would want Abe to pay for the book, andAbe had no money.
He opened the Crawford gate and marched up to the kitchen door. Josiah,his wife Elizabeth, and Sammy, their little boy, were having breakfast.When Abe explained what had happened, Mrs. Crawford patted his shoulder.He liked her. She was always nice to him, but he knew that her husbandwas the one who would decide about the book. Josiah took it in his bighands and looked at the stained pages.
"Well, Abe," he said slowly, "I won't be hard on you. If you want topull fodder three days for me, that ought to pay for the book."
"Starting right now?"
"Yep, starting right now." Josiah was actually smiling. "Then you canhave the book to keep."
Abe caught his breath. What a lucky boy he was! Three days' work and hecould keep the book! He would have a chance to read about GeorgeWashington any time he wanted to.
Never had he worked harder or faster than he did that morning. When thenoon dinner bell rang, he seemed to be walking on air as he followedJosiah into the cabin. Sally was putting dinner on the table. Abeslipped up behind her and pulled one of her pigtails. Taken by surprise,she jumped and dropped a pitcher of cream. The pitcher did not break,but the cream spilled and spread over the kitchen floor.
"Abe Lincoln! Look what you made me do!" cried Sally. "I just washedthat floor. And look at that good cream going to waste."
"'Tain't going to waste." Abe pointed to Elizabeth Crawford's cat, whichwas lapping up the delicious yellow stream. Then he began to sing:"Cat's in the cream jar, shoo, shoo, shoo!"
"Stop trying to show off!" said Sally.
She was angry, but Sammy, Elizabeth's little boy, shouted with delight.That was all the encouragement Abe needed. The fact that he could notcarry a tune did not seem to bother him.
"Cat's in the cream jar, shoo, shoo, shoo! Cat's in the cream jar, shoo, shoo, shoo! Skip to my Lou, my darling."
Sally was down on her hands and knees, wiping up the cream. "Stopsinging that silly song, and help me."
Instead, Abe danced a jig. He leaned down and pulled her other pigtail.
"Sally's in the cream jar, shoo, shoo, shoo."
"That's enough, Abe," said Elizabeth Crawford.
"Skip to my Lou, my darling." He whirled around on his bare feet andmade a sweeping bow. Sally was close to tears.
"Abe, I told you to stop," said Elizabeth Crawford. "You ought to beashamed, teasing your sister. If you keep on acting that way, what doyou think is going to become of you?"
"Me?" Abe drew himself up. "What's going to become of me? I'm going tobe President."
Elizabeth looked at him, a lanky barefoot boy with trousers too short.His shirt was in rags. His black hair was tousled. She sank into achair, shaking with laughter. "A pretty President you'd make, nowwouldn't you?"
She had no sooner spoken than she wanted to take back the words. All ofthe joy went out of his face. Sally was too angry to notice.
"Maybe you're going to be President," she said. "But first you'd betterlearn to behave."
"I--I was just funning, Sally."
Something in his voice made Sally look up. She saw the hurt expressionin his eyes. "I know you were," she said hastily. "I'm not mad anymore."
Abe ate his dinner in silence. He did not seem to be the same boy whohad been cutting up only a few minutes before. Elizabeth kept tellingherself that she should not have laughed at him. He did try to show offsometimes. But he was a good boy. She thought more of him than of any ofthe other young folks in Pigeon Creek. Not for anything would she havehurt his feelings. When he pushed back his stool, she followed him outinto the yard.
"About your being President," she said. "I wasn't aiming to make fun ofyou. I just meant that you--with all your tricks and jokes--"
"I reckon I know what you meant," said Abe quietly. "All the same, Mrs.Crawford, I don't always mean to delve and grub and such like."
There was a look of determination on his face that she had not seenbefore. "I think a heap of you," she went on, "and I don't want to seeyou disappointed. It's a fine thing to be ambitious. But don't letreading about George Washington give you notions that can't come toanything."
Abe threw back his shoulders. "I aim to study and get ready and then thechance will come."
He lifted his battered straw hat, and started down the path toward thefield. He walked with dignity. Elizabeth had not realized that he was sotall.
"I declare," she said, "he really means it!"
Sammy had come up and heard her. "Means what. Mamma?" he asked.
Elizabeth took his hand. "Didn't you know, Sammy? Abe is fixing to bePresident some day."