casual town, created by drifters, and void of
settled purpose. Small wonder that ere long it vanished from the map;
that after a few years its drifting congregation dispersed to every
corner of the horizon, and was no more. But during its brief existence
it staged an episode in the development of Lincoln's character. However,
this did not take place at once. And before it happened, came another
turn of his soul's highway scarcely less important. He discovered, or
thought he discovered, what he wanted. His vague ambition took shape. He
decided to try to be a politician. At twenty-three, after living in New
Salem less than a year, this audacious, not to say impertinent, young
man offered himself to the voters of Sangamon County as a candidate for
the Legislature. At this time that humility which was eventually his
characteristic had not appeared. It may be dated as subsequent to New
Salem--a further evidence that the deep spiritual experience which
closed this chapter formed a crisis. Before then, at New Salem as
at Pigeon Creek, he was but a variant, singularly decent, of the
boisterous, frolicking, impertinent type that instinctively sought the
laxer neighborhoods of the frontier. An echo of Pigeon Creek informed
the young storekeeper's first state paper, the announcement of his
candidacy, in the year 1832. His first political speech was in a curious
vein, glib, intimate and fantastic: "Fellow citizens, I presume you all
know who I am. I am humble Abraham Lincoln. I have been solicited by
many friends to become a candidate for the Legislature. My politics are
short and sweet like the old woman's dance. I am in favor of a national
bank. I am in favor of the internal improvement system and a high
protective tariff. These are my sentiments and political principles. If
elected, I shall be thankful; if not it will be all the same."(4)

However, this bold throw of the dice of fortune was not quite so
impertinent as it seems. During the months when he was in charge of
Offut's grocery store he had made a conquest of New Salem. The village
grocery in those days was the village club. It had its constant
gathering of loafers all of whom were endowed with votes. It was the one
place through which passed the whole population, in and out, one time
or another. To a clever storekeeper it gave a chance to establish a
following. Had he, as Lincoln had, the gift of story-telling, the gift
of humor, he was a made man. Pigeon Creek over agai