Prev | Current Page 168 | Next

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

"The Writings of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 2: 1843-1858"

By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a
month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for
your work. In this I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the
lead mines, or the gold mines in California, but I mean for you to go at
it for the best wages you can get close to home in Coles County. Now, if
you will do this, you will be soon out of debt, and, what is better, you
will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But, if
I should now clear you out of debt, next year you would be just as deep
in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in heaven for
seventy or eighty dollars. Then you value your place in heaven very
cheap, for I am sure you can, with the offer I make, get the seventy or
eighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I will furnish
you the money you will deed me the land, and, if you don't pay the money
back, you will deliver possession. Nonsense! If you can't now live with
the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to
me, and I do not mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will
but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eighty times
eighty dollars to you.


Pages:
156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180