Hehadplentyofpeculiarities。Hewasugly，awkward；helackedthewantonappetitesoftheaveragesensualman。Andthesepeculiaritieswithouthisgreatstrengthashiswarrantmighthavebroughthimintoridicule。Asitwas，whateverhispeculiarities，inasocietylikethatofPigeonCreek，themanwhocouldbeatallcompetitors，wrestlingorboxing，wasfreefrommolestation。ButLincolninstinctivelyhadanotheraiminlifethanmerefreedomtobehimself。Twocharacteristicsthatweresosignificantinhischildhoodcontinuedwithgrowingvitalityinhisyoungmanhood：hisplacidityandhisintensesenseofcomradeship。Thelatter，however，hadundergoneachange。Itwasnolongerthecomradeshipofthewildcreatures。Thatspurtofphysicalexpansion，theswiftrankgrowthtohistremendousstature，swepthimapparentlyacrossadimdividingline，outoftheworldofbirdsandbeastsandintotheworldofmen。Hetookthenewworldwiththesameunfailingbutalsounexcitablecuriositywithwhichhehadtakentheother，theworldofsquirrels，flowers，fawns。
　　Hereasthere，thedifferencefromhismother，deepthoughtheirsimilaritiesmayhavebeen，wassharplyevident。Hadhebeenwhollyatonewithherreligiously，thegiftoftellingspeechwhichhenowbegantodisplaymighthaveledhimintoacoursethatwouldhaverejoicedherheart，mighthavemadehimaboypreacher，andlater，agreatrevivalist。HisfatherandeldersisterwhileonPigeonCreekjoinedthelocalBaptistChurch。ButAbrahamdidnotfollowthem。Noristhereasingleanecdotelinkinghiminanywaywiththefervorsofcampmeeting。Onthecontrary，whatlittleisremembered，isofacoolaloofness。[4]Theinscrutabilityoftheforestwashis——whatitgavetothestealthy，cautiousmenwhoweretoointentonobserving，toosuspiciouslywatchful，togiveventtotheirfeelings。Therefore，inLincolntherewasalwaysadoublelife，outerandinner，theouterquietlycompanionable，theinner，solitary，mysterious。
　　ItwastheouterlifethatassumeditsfirstdefinitephaseintheyearsonPigeonCreek。Duringthoseyears，Lincolndiscoveredhisgiftofstory-telling。Healsodiscoveredhumor。Intheemploymentofbothtalents，heacceptedasamatterofcoursethetoneoftheyoungruffiansamongwhomhedwelt。Verysoonthispowerfulfellow，whocouldthrowanyoftheminawrestle，wonthecentralpositionamongthembyasurertitle，bythepowertodelight。Andanyonewhoknowshowpeasantschoolsofartarise——forthatmatter，allschoolsofartthatarevital——knowshowhedidit。Inthisconnection，hisfamousbiographers，NicolayandHay，revealacertainexternalitybyobjectingthatastoryattributedtohimisancient。Allstoriesareancient。Notthetale，butthetelling，astheproverbsays，isthething。Inlateryears，Lincolnwrotedowneverygoodstorythatheheard，andfiledit。[5]Whenitreappearedithadbecomehisown。Whocandoubtthatthisdeliberateassimilation，thetypicalartisticprocess，beganonPigeonCreek？Lincolnneverwouldhavecapturedashedidhisplowboyaudience，setthemroaringwithlaughterintheintervalsoflabor，hadhenotgiventhembacktheirowntalesdoneoverintonewformsbrilliantlybeyondtheirpowersofconception。Thatthesetalesweregross，evenribald，mighthavebeentakenforgranted，evenhadwenotpositiveevidenceofthefact。Otherwisenoneofthatuproariouslaughterwhichwemaybesuresoundedoftenacrossshimmeringharvestfieldswhilestalwartyoungpagans，everreadytopause，leaned，bellowing，onthehandlesoftheirscythes，AbeLincolnhavingjustthenfinishedastory。
　　ThoughthehumorofthesestorieswasFalstaffian，tosaytheleast，thoughLincolnwascockofthewalkamongtheplowboysofPigeonCreek，asignificantfactwithregardtohimherecomesintoview。Notananecdotesurvivesthatinanywaysuggestspersonallicentiousness。Scrupulousmenwhoinafter-timewereoffendedbyhiscoarsenessofspeech——formoreorlessoftheartistofPigeonCreekstucktohimalmosttotheend；hetalkedinfables，ofteningrossfables——thesemen，despitetheirannoyance，feltnoimpulsetoattributetohimpersonalhabitsinharmonywithhistales。Ontheotherhand，theywerepuzzledbytheirownimpression，neverwavering，thathewas“pureminded。“Thecluewhichtheydidnothavelayinthenatureofhisdoublelife。Thatpartofhimwhich，inourmodernjargon，wecallhis“reactions“obeyedacuriouslaw。
　　Theydweltinhisouterlifewithoutpenetratingtotheinner；
　　butallhisimpulsesofpersonalactionweresecurelyseateddeepwithin。Evenatnineteen，foranyoneattunedtospiritualmeaning，hewouldhavestruckthenoteofmystery，faintly，perhaps，butcertainly。Tobesure，nohintofthisreachedthemindsofhisrollickingcomradesoftheharvestfield。Itwasnotforsuchastheytoperceivetheproblemofhischaracter，tosuspectthathewasagenius，ortoguessthatatimewouldcomewhensinceremenwouldformimpressionsofhimasdissimilarasblackandwhite。Andsofarasitwenttheobservationoftheplowboyswascorrect。Themantheysawwasindeedareflectionofthemselves。Butitwasareflectiononly。Theirinfluenceenteredintotherealmannomorethantheimageinamirrorhasenteredintotheglass。
　　Thoughplacid，thisearlyLincolnwasnotresigned。HedifferedfromtheboorsofPigeonCreekinwantingsomeothersortoflife。Whatitwashewanted，hedidnotknow。Hisreadinghadnotasyetgivenhimdefiniteambitions。ItmaywellbethatNewOrleanswasthecluetosuchstirringinhimastherewasofthatdiscontentwhichfancifulpeoplehavecalleddivine。RememberingNewOrleans，couldanyimaginativeyouthbecontentwithPigeonCreek？
　　Inthespringof1830，shortlyafterhecameofage，heagreedforoncewithhisfatherwhosechronicvagrancyhadreasserteditself。ThewholefamilysetoutagainontheirwanderingsandmadetheirwayinanoxcarttoanewhaltingplaceontheSangamonRiverinIllinois。ThereAbrahamhelpedhisfatherclearanotherpieceoflandforanotherillusive“start“inlife。Thefollowingspringhepartedwithhisfamilyandstruckoutforhimself。[1]HisnextadventurewasasecondtripasaboatmantoNewOrleans。Canonehelpsuspectingtherewasvaguehopeinhisheartthathemightbeadventuringtothelandofhearts’desire？Iftherewas，theyokelswhowerehisfellowboatmenneversuspectedit。OneofthemlongafterwardassertedthatLincolnreturnedfromNewOrleansfiercelyrebelliousagainstitscentralinstitution，slavery，anddeterminedto“hitthatthing“wheneverhecould。
　　Thelegendcentersinhiswitnessingaslaveauctionandgivingvoicetohishorrorinastylequiteunlikeanyofhisauthenticutterances。Theauthorityforallthisisdoubtful。[2]
　　Furthermore，theLincolnof1831wasnotyetawakened。Thatinnerlifeinwhichsuchareactionmighttakeplacewasstilllargelydormant。Theouterlife，thelifeoftheharvestclown，wasstillathickinsulation。Apparently，thewakingoftheinnerlife，theterminationofitsdormantstage，wasreservedforanincidentfarmorepersonalthatfelluponhimindesolatingforceafewyearslater。
　　FollowingtheNewOrleansventure，cameaperiodasstorekeeperforamannamedDentonOffut，inperhapstheleastdesirabletowninIllinois——adrearylittlehuddleofhousesgatheredaroundRutledge’sMillontheSangamonRiverandcalledNewSalem。[3]ThoughafewofitspeoplewereofabettersortthananyLincolnhadyetknownexcept，perhaps，themiller’sfamilyintheolddaysinKentucky——andstillasmallerfewwereoffinequality，thecommunityforthemostpartwashopeless。A
　　fatalityforunpromisingneighborhoodsoverhangslikeadoomtheearlypartofthisstrangelife。AllaccountsofNewSalemrepresentitaspredominantlyacongregationoftheworthless，flungtogetherbyunaccountableaccidentataspotwheretherewasnogenuinereasonforatown’sexistence。Acasualtown，createdbydrifters，andvoidofsettledpurpose。Smallwonderthaterelongitvanishedfromthemap；thatafterafewyearsitsdriftingcongregationdispersedtoeverycornerofthehorizon，andwasnomore。ButduringitsbriefexistenceitstagedanepisodeinthedevelopmentofLincoln’scharacter。
　　However，thisdidnottakeplaceatonce。Andbeforeithappened，cameanotherturnofhissoul’shighwayscarcelylessimportant。Hediscovered，orthoughthediscovered，whathewanted。Hisvagueambitiontookshape。Hedecidedtotrytobeapolitician。Attwenty-three，afterlivinginNewSalemlessthanayear，thisaudacious，nottosayimpertinent，youngmanofferedhimselftothevotersofSangamonCountyasacandidatefortheLegislature。Atthistimethathumilitywhichwaseventuallyhischaracteristichadnotappeared。ItmaybedatedassubsequenttoNewSalem——afurtherevidencethatthedeepspiritualexperiencewhichclosedthischapterformedacrisis。Beforethen，atNewSalemasatPigeonCreek，hewasbutavariant，singularlydecent，oftheboisterous，frolicking，impertinenttypethatinstinctivelysoughtthelaxerneighborhoodsofthefrontier。AnechoofPigeonCreekinformedtheyoungstorekeeper’sfirststatepaper，theannouncementofhiscandidacy，intheyear1832。Hisfirstpoliticalspeechwasinacuriousvein，glib，intimateandfantastic：“Fellowcitizens，IpresumeyouallknowwhoIam。
　　IamhumbleAbrahamLincoln。IhavebeensolicitedbymanyfriendstobecomeacandidatefortheLegislature。Mypoliticsareshortandsweetliketheoldwoman’sdance。Iaminfavorofanationalbank。Iaminfavoroftheinternalimprovementsystemandahighprotectivetariff。Thesearemysentimentsandpoliticalprinciples。Ifelected，Ishallbethankful；ifnotitwillbeallthesame。“[4]
　　However，thisboldthrowofthediceoffortunewasnotquitesoimpertinentasitseems。DuringthemonthswhenhewasinchargeofOffut’sgrocerystorehehadmadeaconquestofNewSalem。Thevillagegroceryinthosedayswasthevillageclub。
　　Ithaditsconstantgatheringofloafersallofwhomwereendowedwithvotes。Itwastheoneplacethroughwhichpassedthewholepopulation，inandout，onetimeoranother。Toacleverstorekeeperitgaveachancetoestablishafollowing。
　　Hadhe，asLincolnhad，thegiftofstory-telling，thegiftofhumor，hewasamademan。PigeonCreekoveragain!Lincoln’swealthoffunnystoriesgaveOffut’sgrocerysomewhattheroleofavaudevilletheaterandmadethestorekeeperaspopularamanastherewasinNewSalem。
　　InanotherwayherepeatedhisconquestofPigeonCreek。NewSalemhaditslocalAlsatiaknownasClary’sGrovewhoseinsolentyoungtoughsledbytheirchief，JackArmstrong，weretheterroroftheneighborhood。Thegroceriespaidthemtributeinfreedrinks。Anylucklessstorekeeperwhoincurredtheirdispleasurefoundhisstoresomefinemorningatotalwreck。LincolnchallengedJackArmstrongtoaduelwithfists。
　　Itwasformallyarranged。Aringwasformed；thewholevillagewasaudience；andLincolnthrashedhimtoafinish。Butthiswasonlyasmallpartofhistriumph。Hisphysicalprowess，joinedwithhishumorandhiscompanionableness；entirelycaptivatedClary’sGrove。Thereafter，itwasstorekeeperLincoln’spocketborough；itsruffianswerehisbody-guard。
　　Woetoanyonewhomadetroublefortheirhero。
　　Therewerestillothercausesforhisquickrisetothepositionofvillageleader。Hisunfailingkindnesswasone；
　　hishonestywasanother。Taleswererelatedofhisscrupulousdealings，suchaswalkingadistanceofmilesinordertocorrectatriflingerrorhehadmade，insellingapoorwomanlessthantheproperweightoftea。Then，too，byNewSalemstandards，hewaseducated。LongpracticeontheshovelatPigeonCreekhadgivenhimagoodhandwriting，andoneofthefirstthingshedidatNewSalemwastovolunteertobeclerkofelections。Andtherewasadistinctmoralsuperiority。
　　Littleasthiswouldhavesignifiedunbackedbyhisgiantstrengthsinceithadthatauthoritybehindithismoralitysethimapartfromhisfollowers，different，imposing。Heseldom，ifever，drankwhisky。Sobrietywasalreadytheruleofhislife，bothoutwardandinward。Atthesametimehewasnotcensorious。HeacceptedthedevotionofClary’sGrovewithouttheslightestattempttomakeoveritsbravoesinhisownimage。Hesympathizedwithitsideasofsport。Forallhiskindlinesstohumansofeverysortmuchofhissensitivenessforanimalshadpassedaway。Hewasnotaversetocockfighting；heenjoyedahorserace。[5]Altogether，inhisouterlife，beforethecatastrophethatrevealedhimtohimself，hewasquiteasmuchinthetoneofNewSalemaseverinthatofPigeonCreek。WhentheelectioncamehegoteveryvoteinNewSalemexceptthree。[6]
　　ButthevillagewasasmallpartofSangamonCounty。ThoughLincolnreceivedarespectablenumberofvoteselsewhere，histotalwaswelldownintherunning。Heremainedaninconspicuousminoritycandidate。
　　MeanwhileOffut’sgroceryhadfailed。Inthemidstofthelegislativecampaign，Offut’sfarmerstorekeepervolunteeredfortheIndianWarwithBlackHawk，butreturnedtoNewSalemshortlybeforetheelectionwithouthavingoncesmelledpowder。
　　Sincehispeerswerenotofamindtogivehimimmediateoccupationingoverning，heturnedagaintobusiness。HeformedapartnershipwithamannamedBerry。TheyboughtoncreditthewreckofagrocerythathadbeensackedbyLincoln’sfriendsofClary’sGrove，andstartedbusinessas“GeneralMerchants，“underthestyleofBerry&Lincoln。Therefollowedayearofcompleteunsuccess。Lincolndemonstratedthathewasfarmoreinclinedtoreadanychancebookthatcamehiswaythantoattendtobusiness，andthathehad“nomoneysense。“
　　ThenewfirmwentthewayofOffut’sgrocery，leavingnothingbehinditbutdebt。ThedebtsdidnottroubleBerry；Lincolnassumedthemall。Theyformedadreadfulloadwhichheborewithhisusualpatienceandlittlebylittledischarged。