larger than would be indicated by the same number of counties to-day.
It was one hundred and fifty miles long and nearly as wide. There were
few railroads, and the best county roads were extremely poor, so that
traveling was burdensome. The court and the lawyers traveled from one
county seat to another, sometimes horseback, sometimes in buggies or
wagons, and sometimes afoot. The duties of one county being concluded,
the entire company would move on to another county. Thus only a small
part of his duties were transacted at Springfield.

These periodic sessions of the court were of general interest to the
communities in which they were held. There were no theaters, no lyceums
for music or lectures, and few other assemblages of any sort, excepting
the churches and the agricultural fairs. It thus came about that the
court was the center of a greater interest than would now be possible.
It was the rostrum of the lecturer and the arena of the debate. Nor
were comedies lacking in its multifarious proceedings. The attorney was
therefore sure of a general audience, as well as of court and jury.

This peripatetic practise threw the lawyers much into one another's
company. There were long evenings to be spent in the country taverns,
when sociability was above par. Lincoln's inexhaustible fund of wit and
humor, and his matchless array of stories, made him the life of the
company. In this number there were many lawyers of real ability. The
judge was David Davis, whose culture and legal ability will hardly be
questioned by any one. Judge Davis was almost ludicrously fond of
Lincoln. He kept him in his room evenings and was very impatient if
Lincoln's talk was interrupted.

There were two qualities in Lincoln's anecdotes: their resistless fun,
and their appropriateness. When Lincoln came into court it was usually