need of door and window.

The structure was built four square, fourteen feet each way. Posts were
set up at the corners, then the sides were made of poles placed as near
together as possible. The interstices were filled in with chips and
clay, which was called "chinking." The fireplace and chimney were built
at the back and outside. The chief advantage of this style of domicile
is that it provides plenty of fresh air. With one side of the room
entirely open, and with a huge fireplace at the other side, the
sanitary problem of ventilation was solved.

There were no Brussels carpets, no Persian rugs, no hardwood floors.
The bare soil was pounded hard, and that was the floor. There were two
beds inn the two rear corners of the rooms. The corner position saved
both space and labor. Two sides of the bed were composed of parts of
the two walls. At the opposite angle a stake, with a forked top, was
driven into the ground, and from this to the walls were laid two poles
at right angles. This made the frame of the bed. Then "shakes," or
large hand-made shingles, were placed crosswise. Upon these were laid
the ticks filled with feathers or corn husks, and the couch was
complete. Not stylish, but healthful and comfortable.

The produce of his farm was chiefly corn, though a little wheat was
raised for a change of diet. Doubtless there were enough of the staple
vegetables which grow easily in that country. Butcher shops were not
needed, owing to the abundance of wild game.

The principal portion of the life of the average boy concerns his
schooling. As nearly as can be determined the aggregate of young
Lincoln's schooling was about one year, and this was divided between