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"ABE" GAVE HER A "SURE TIP."
If all the days Lincoln attended school were added together, they would
not make a single year's time, and he never studied grammar or geography
or any of the higher branches. His first teacher in Indiana was Hazel
Dorsey, who opened a school in a log schoolhouse a mile and a half
from the Lincoln cabin. The building had holes for windows, which were
covered over with greased paper to admit light. The roof was just high
enough for a man to stand erect. It did not take long to demonstrate
that "Abe" was superior to any scholar in his class. His next teacher
was Andrew Crawford, who taught in the winter of 1822-3, in the same
little schoolhouse. "Abe" was an excellent speller, and it is said that
he liked to show off his knowledge, especially if he could help out
his less fortunate schoolmates. One day the teacher gave out the word
"defied." A large class was on the floor, but it seemed that no one
would be able to spell it. The teacher declared he would keep the whole
class in all day and night if "defied" was not spelled correctly.
When the word came around to Katy Roby, she was standing where she
could see young "Abe." She started, "d-e-f," and while trying to decide
whether to spell the word with an "i" or a "y," she noticed that Abe had
his finger on his eye and a smile on his face, and instantly took the
hint. She spelled the word correctly and school was dismissed.
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Stories and Anecdotes About the Life of Abraham Lincoln
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