Note 19 — Chapter XIV · BERRY AND LINCOLN TAKE OUT A TAVERN LICENSE AND HIRE A CLERK.—LINCOLN BEGINS TO STUDY LAW.

This incident was told by Lincoln to Mr. A. J. Conant the artist, who in 1860 painted his portrait in Springfield. Mr. Conant, in order to catch Mr. Lincoln’s animated expression, had engaged him in conversation, and had questioned him about his early life; and it was in the course of their conversation that this incident came out. It is to be found in a delightful and suggestive article entitled, “My Acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln,” contributed by Mr. Conant to the “Liber Scriptorum,” and by his permission quoted here.