CHAPTER XVII

AN “ABE” LINCOLN LOG-CABIN

A bright, gray-eyed little Kentucky boy, of whom all have heard and whose memory is honored by the entire nation, lived years ago in a quaint log-cabin so small that it would now seem to be about the right size for a large play-house. There was but one room, and that contained only a few pieces of rough home-made furniture. The boy, with his musical laugh, was busy and healthy, making the best of everything and sleeping soundly on the dried leaves piled in one corner of the loft over the room. There were no stairs for the little fellow to ascend, so he climbed to his primitive couch by means of wooden pegs driven in the side of the wall. He never complained of any hardship, but always tried to better things; and after he grew up to manhood he tried to better his country, and succeeded.

Imagine this brave boy dressed in the every-day costume of the place and times, wearing a 'coon-skin cap which partially covered his thick dark hair, a homespun shirt, trousers of roughly tanned deerskin, and on his feet, not shoes, but home-made moccasins. Thus attired, he daily trudged by the side of his sister Nancy, walking several miles to a school-house, which was also built of logs, so arranged that they stuck out and formed little recesses in which the children played hide-and-seek. There were no windows in the building; the day crept through the open space where a log had been removed to admit light to enable the girls and boys to see to study. The school floor was the bare brown earth, not even boards; yet from such modest surroundings came one of the greatest of Americans. Could you have been at the World’s Fair in 1893 you might have seen a log-cabin which was the home of this boy after the family had moved to Illinois. The house was on exhibition at the Fair, having been purchased for the purpose by a special association.

Probably not many Northern girls have ever seen a genuine log-cabin, though some may have spent part of their Summer vacation in recently built log-houses in the mountains, but these buildings are usually too luxurious and spacious to bear any resemblance to the pioneer structure of logs. The rare human life which has passed through some of these old log-cabins and left its influence upon the world, will cause the cabins to be remembered long after the more pretentious mansions have been forgotten. It is noble lives which are of real worth, not inanimate things.

Naturally you would be glad to see the funny little Kentucky log-cabin where Nancy’s brother first lived, but long ago the cabin was torn down; however, the logs were saved, and in 1895 the old house was rebuilt on the original site. The surest way of seeing a log-cabin like the one in which our little friend and his sister lived is for you to erect such a house. Then you will know exactly what little “Abe’s” home was like—for you must have guessed before this that Nancy’s brother was the martyred President, Abraham Lincoln.

Of course, you cannot build a log-cabin large enough for grown people to live in. Yours will be

=A Miniature “Abe” Lincoln Cabin,=

and the longest and heaviest logs should be about as large around as a lead-pencil and measure not more than eight [Illustration: Fig. 393.] inches in length, the short side logs being five and a quarter inches in length. Notch each log at both ends and on both sides (Fig. 393), except the four foundation logs, which [Illustration: Fig. 394.] require notches at each end, but only on the upper side (Fig. 394). When erecting the house fit the cross logs together at the notches (Fig. 395), in order to make the walls [Illustration: Fig. 395.] firm and to avoid wide spaces between the logs. Let the elevation or height of the house be four inches (Fig. 396). In building the roof use end logs graduated in length (Fig. 397). These gabled ends should raise the house two inches through the centre. Before [Illustration: Fig. 396.] adding the roof, slide in two extra side logs, each half an inch or so longer than the side logs proper; place one at each end of the top of the house along the inside of the last logs on top of the side walls (Fig. 398, F E). The longer logs are used to extend the roof back and front beyond the building, causing it to project as do [Illustration: Fig. 397.] the roofs on real houses. To produce a like result on the sides, have the front and back logs of the roof longer than those built in the front and back of the house, the difference being the same increase in measurement as in the sides of the roof (Fig. 396, A B and C D).

Cut a piece of paper two and one-quarter inches long and one and one-quarter inches wide to indicate the door; fasten it by the four corners to the centre of the front of the house immediately above the foundation log. Cut another piece of paper the size of the window—one inch long and three-quarters of an inch wide—and [Illustration: Fig. 398.] paste it also on the front of the house midway between the door and the end of the house, allowing it to come a little lower than the top of the door (Fig. 396). With paint-brush and white paint mark the logs along the edge of the paper door and window; then carefully take down the house, placing the logs in eight different piles: the front of the roof in one place, back of roof in another, first end of roof in the third pile, and second end in the fourth. Tie each group of logs separately and label. Proceed in like manner with the four sides of the house proper, first removing the pieces of paper. Cut the logs marked with the white paint on the inside of the lines to make openings for the door and window, then rub off the remaining paint from the logs.

Now your material is

=Ready for Building=

and you must find some land upon which to erect the house. Fortunately log-cabins need no cellars, so digging will be unnecessary, and the ground need not be deep. A piece of bookbinder’s stiff pasteboard or a light-weight wooden board seventeen by twenty-three inches or thereabouts will prove the best kind of a ground plot and, after space is reserved for the house, will allow for a large yard. Mark the location for the house a little to one side of the centre and near the back of the lot, as shown in illustration of An “Abe” Lincoln Log-cabin.

Have ready some strong glue and begin the building of the cabin. Glue down the four foundation logs to the board, being cautious to lay them straight and even; then proceed as when first erecting the building, only this time glue each log to the lower ones at the notched ends, using putty in place of mortar between the lengths of the logs. Now, do not say you have no putty. If you cannot get it, use plaster-of-paris; if you have no plaster-of-paris, use clay; and if there is no clay use mud. The ends of the logs bordering the window and doorway must be held level and kept from falling together by chips glued in between them (Fig. 399).

Be sure to have the four sides of the building plumb. Do not let the walls lean one way or another. This item must be borne in mind constantly while building.

=When the House is Up,=

with the exception of the roof, measure the two sides of the door and window and cut a thin, flat piece of wood—an old [Illustration: Fig. 400.] cigar-box will do—in the desired width and length for jambs. Glue the pieces in place. Fig. 400 shows the first jamb on one side of the doorway. When all the jambs are fastened on measure the space of the doorway and cut a door of the thin wood according to the measurements. Be sure it fits, and see that it moves easily back and forth. The door cannot have a knob, because during those early times there were no door-knobs in this country—people used door-latches, mostly of wood, with a string hanging down on the outside for friends to pull and thereby lift the inside latch, causing the door to open. [Illustration: Fig. 401.] [Illustration: Fig. 402.] If the household did not wish visitors the string was pulled inside the room; then no one outside could open the door, as there would not be anything to catch hold of. This explains the old saying, “The latch-string hangs on the outside of the door.” Bore a hole through the little cabin door with the red-hot end of a hair-pin, for the latch-string; move the hair-pin around and around in order to burn the hole large enough to admit the threading through of a string. Dampen one end of a short string, twist it to a point and pass it through the hole to the other side, turn the door over and make a knot in the end of the string large enough to prevent it [Illustration: Fig. 403.] coming through when the string is pulled from the outside. Fig. 401 shows the inside knot and Fig. 402 the outside string.

=Hang the Door=

by means of a cloth hinge; glue a half inch wide strip of muslin lengthwise along one edge of the inside of the door (Fig. 403), leaving the other half of the muslin to be glued on the inside of the doorjamb that the door sill may be on the outside (Fig. 404). After the door has been satisfactorily secured in its proper place build on the roof. As a substitute [Illustration: Fig. 404.] for clapboards or shingles glue birch-bark over the rafters to serve as a covering, first bending the bark through the centre to fit the roof, as a sheet of writing-paper is folded. When the roof is on, fasten over it [Illustration: Fig. 405.] lengthwise slender poles at wide intervals, that the roof may resemble the original clapboard style. In real houses these poles were laid across to hold the rough clapboards in position and have them “break joints,” which means that the clapboards, which resemble very long, large shingles, are placed in rows in such a way that the centres of the solid bottom edges of those in the upper rows overlap and cross the spaces between the clapboards in the lower rows, just as ordinary shingles are put on houses to-day.

=The Chimney=

must be at one end and on the outside of the house. Begin at the ground, and in log-cabin fashion build the lower part up about an inch and a half of logs. This portion in a real log-cabin opens on the inside of the room and constitutes part of the framework of the fireplace, but in this tiny house it will not be necessary to carry out the interior in detail. Having securely glued the lower part of the chimney and plastered it between the logs, get some burnt matches or split a number of sticks into very slender lengths for the remainder of the chimney. These are not to be notched. Use them to graduate the chimney up a short distance until the opening is small enough for the chimney proper. Make the rest uniform in size and extend it up an inch and a quarter higher than the top of the house (Fig. 405). If the chimney was a real one it would have to be plastered thick inside with mud, and between the logs and sticks, but as it will not be used for fire or smoke, glue will answer at the corners and putty or some other substitute for the cracks, as in the illustration of A Fac-simile Miniature “Abe” Lincoln Log-cabin.

The different materials needed for the cabin and grounds can be readily obtained. Almost any kind of fairly smooth twigs will make line logs, but try to have them uniform in size.

=You Can Find Plenty of Moss=

for foliage in the woods or swamps, on old stumps of trees and weather-beaten fences, and a few varieties are to be had in the open fields; that growing in pine woods or rocky places is generally satisfactory. Gather the moss wherever you can find it and obtain as many varieties as possible. Look also for the beautiful lichens, varying in color and form; detach them carefully and bring the curious little plants home in a box separate from the moss. The dainty lichens do not need preparation for use, but the moss does. Place it top down on paper near the fire and dry quickly without scorching. After it is dry shake off all impurities, such as dead leaves, grass, sand, and rotten wood. Moss that grows in swamps should be carefully washed soon after being obtained, as the roots are difficult to clean when they become dry. As soon as the moss has been thoroughly dried, put it away in a dark place until you are ready to use it.

To obtain

=The Bark for Roof and Canoe,=

hunt up a birch-tree—one that has been dead a short time is best—and with a sharp knife peel off the pieces needed. The bark should be of a rich dark reddish-brown on the inside. Cut it with an old pair of scissors into the desired shape and size; then place the pieces between two smooth boards to dry. Put weights or stones of convenient size upon the upper board, and very soon the bark will be flattened out and ready for use.

The trees are small, branching twigs. Search for those which resemble most closely little trees. Examine carefully the structure of real trees, stand under the branches and gaze up into the foliage; in most varieties, you can see exactly how the tree grows. Try to remember its appearance; where and how the limbs stand out and the manner in which they branch off; then select your twigs accordingly.

Little “Abe” was obliged to take a long walk to the spring for drinking water, but since the size of our lot does not permit placing a spring at sufficient distance from the cabin to copy exactly the environment of the Lincoln homestead, we will introduce

=A Pretty Little Lake or Pond=

and an old-fashioned country well-sweep as water supplies. Hunt up a piece of broken looking-glass. This will make [Illustration: Fig. 406.] an excellent substitute for a miniature lake of real water, reflecting the beautiful green shore, the overhanging trees, and the graceful little craft which we will moor to its shore. If the mirror is the requisite size, its shape does not matter. Place the glass near the front of the board at the left-hand side. Move it further back, then forward, a little to this side and that, until you find the precise spot best suited for the lake. Experimenting in this way, you will gain unconsciously a slight insight into the art of landscape gardening, and when you have an opportunity you will find yourself studying the arrangement and beauty of grounds laid out by professional landscape gardeners. You will notice in what direction the water lies from the house, the arrangement of the trees, if they are many or few, in groups or scattered, the surface of the land, and various other details that appeal to the close observer.

Having located the place for the lake, lay the broken mirror on it and glue a strip of paper, half of it to the edge of the glass and half to the board. Fig. 406 shows the method, the dotted line giving the extreme edge of the glass under the paper. Cover the paper with a light coat of glue and sprinkle clean, fine, dry sand over it while the glue is wet that the sand may stick fast and conceal the paper. With a lead-pencil draw two parallel lines as a boundary for

=The Walk=

from the house to the front edge of the board and, recollecting the old saying, “A curved line for beauty, a straight line for duty,” make the path curve in some such way as seen in Fig. 407. Extend the walk almost diagonally across to the right hand of the board. If the first lines do not give a satisfactory path, try again and again until you have the walk to suit; then, if possible, obtain sand of a yellowish color and with the aid of glue make a sandy walk.

The best place for

=A Well=

is toward the right hand of the land beyond the house, between it and the front edge of the board. Decide upon the exact location and over this draw a square measuring one and three-quarters inches each way as a guide in building the wall. You will need some small stones for the well, but real stones are not necessary and you may use instead irregular broken pieces of cork. These can be made to resemble [Illustration: Fig. 410.] hard stones by being first coated all over with glue, then covered with sand of a dark reddish hue.

Build the square according to and immediately outside the lines in order to keep the inside space of the well large enough to allow the free lowering of the bucket. Make the walls even and straight, gluing the foundation stones securely to the ground. When the first layer of stones is in place fit in others for a second row on top of the first, breaking joints; cement the two rows together with putty. Keep on building until the walls are an inch and a half high, reserving the flattest stones for the top (Fig. 408).

Cut a forked stick five inches long and push the end in a button-mould (Fig. 409); glue the button-mould down tight to the board at the right-hand side six inches from the well; then make a straight, slender pole five inches long from a twig, and a well-sweep from a heavier twig. The well-sweep should be fourteen inches long and much heavier at one end than at the other. On the light end of the sweep attach the slender pole, which has previously had a hole burned through the lower end with the red-hot end of a hairpin. Glue a small strip of brown muslin from one stick to the other, not allowing the ends of the stick to meet (Fig. 410). Wrap and glue the sides of the cloth around the two poles, forming in this way a hinge, which will allow the slender pole to hang straight down from the sweep (Fig. 411).

Tie an

=Acorn Bucket=

Let some of

=The Trees=

be nearly as tall again as the cabin; others may be smaller. [Illustration: Fig. 414.] Select your twigs and push the end of each into a large-sized button-mould. If the hole in the mould is too small, enlarge it. Have a few very small twigs for shrubs; stand the trees and shrubs around the grounds as you think they will look best. Try placing them in different parts of the grounds—perhaps a large tree partially back of the house would look well. When all are satisfactorily arranged mark the different spots, then take each tree and bush separately and cause the bare branches to burst forth into beautiful green foliage. To do this, bring out your box of moss and carefully select the variety which most nearly resembles foliage. Use different kinds of moss for different trees, if you have a variety. Pick the dainty moss apart fibre by fibre and glue the pieces one at a time on the branches, making the foliage thicker in some places than in others; place the lightest-colored moss on the outside limbs of the trees, leaving the darker for the inner branches. Fig. 415 shows a bare tree and Fig. 416 the same in full leaf. When the trees and shrubs are ready glue them by their button-mould stands to the board.

Next the

=Grass-seed Must be Sown=

or the sod planted that the ground may be clothed in emerald green. Select a quantity of fine short moss and glue it down all over the entire bare land; then step back a short distance and view the work. You will be surprised at the realistic effect produced. Bring the grass well down, but unevenly, around the shores of the lake and scatter stones of various size here and there near its edge. Take a few pieces of the vine-like moss and trail it up the side of the cabin, running the vine high under the eaves.

=The Fence=

must be one of the picturesque zigzag rail enclosures sometimes called “Old Virginia” fences and again “snake” fences. [Illustration: Fig. 417.] They are peculiar to America and are made of split logs. When Lincoln was a boy he excelled in splitting rails and made more and cut them faster than any of the other boys. The rails you require, however, are so small that a girl as well as a boy can easily make them. Cut the logs four and one-half inches long and split each one lengthwise (Fig. 417). Make enough rails to lay a fence around three sides of the grounds. The back edge of the land can be hedged in with bushes and trees. Build the fence by first placing stones—one or more, according to the size—in two rows, those in each being about four inches apart. The circles in Fig. 418 give the position of the stones, and the dotted line that of the rails. Begin the fence by laying the first rail on two of the stones, the next rail across to the third stone, and so on. Make the fence several rails high; then cross two upright rails at each corner and build on the top rails (Fig. 419). Glue the stones to the ground and the rails one on top of the other as you build.

Leave an open space at the path for a gateway, but instead of an ordinary gate you can make

=A Little Turnstile=

which will twist around just like a real one. Choose a thick short log and shave it off level on the top; then take two thin flat sticks about two and one-half inches long; round off the corners and, crossing them at the centres, glue the two together (Fig. 420). When dry work a pin through [Illustration: Fig. 420.] [Illustration: Fig. 421.] both at the centre and push the pin down, not too tight, in the top of the log (Fig. 421). Enlarge the hole in a good-sized button-mould and fasten in the turnstile. Scrape away enough sand at the centre of the gateway to allow the button-mould to be glued to the bare board; then brush a little glue over the mould and around its edges and sprinkle with sand.

The bright-colored lichens come in well as flowers to give the

=Finishing Touches.=

Little tufts can be glued at the base of the cabin and chimney. The variety with the coral-red tops might be planted here and there along the edge of the walk, and other kinds could be fastened sparingly on a few rocks at the base of the well-sweep and wherever they would add to the beauty and effect of the whole. But be careful about using too many simply because you happen to have them. Study the effect of the entire scene and do not overcrowd it.

=The Birch-bark Canoe.=

Cut the boat from the pattern (Fig. 422); sew up the two ends and, if necessary, bend out the sides until the canoe is of the desired shape (Fig. 423). Moor the craft to the edge of the shore with the aid of a little glue. [Illustration: Fig. 422.] Or you might put the canoe out on the water; glue it in place and seat two little jointed dolls in the boat, one dressed as a girl and the other as a boy. The boy should have glued to his hands a little wooden paddle whittled from a piece of thin, flat wood.

When people lived in log-cabins they burned wood in the great fireplaces and always kept a generous

=Wood-pile=

near at hand. A tiny one at the side toward the back of the grounds will, therefore, be in keeping with the cabin. Burn two holes through each end of a short flat piece of wood and stick a slender pole in each hole, fasten them in tight with glue, then burn two holes in another piece of wood for two similar poles. Place the two pairs of stakes about three inches apart, and cut your wood and pile it up evenly between them. The stakes are to hold the wood in place (Fig. 424).

=A Sawbuck=

can be made of four flat pieces of wood and one round piece. Shut your eyes, think hard, and you will remember how a real sawbuck looks; how the cross-piece is nearer the top than the bottom and how each side-piece forms an awkward-looking X, the cross of the letter being above the centre. You can make it without diagrams. Look at the sawbuck near the wood-pile in Fig. 424 and try.

Find a tiny doll, dress it like a child and glue it in an upright position on the walk. Have another doll (neither of these should be jointed) dressed in a way to represent the little one’s mother, standing by the well drawing water, and your charming old-fashioned log-cabin home will be finished. See illustration of An “Abe” Lincoln Log-cabin.