“A man named Reuben Radford,” says Mr. Greene, “was the keeper of a small store in the village of New Salem.  A friend told him to look out for the ‘Clary Grove boys’ or they would smash him up.  He said he was not afraid.  He was a great big fellow.  But his friend said, ’They don’t come alone.  If one can’t whip you, two or three can, and they’ll do it.’  One day he left his store in charge of his brother, with injunctions that if the ‘Clary Grove boys’ came he must not let them have more than two drinks apiece.  All the stores in those days kept liquor to sell and had a corner for drinking.  The store was nicely fitted up, and had many things in glass jars nicely labelled.  The ’Clary Grove boys’ came, and took two drinks each.  The clerk refused them any more as politely as he could.  Then they went behind the counter and helped themselves.  They got roaring drunk and went to work smashing everything in the store.  The fragments on the floor were an inch deep.  They left and went off on their horses whooping and yelling.  Coming across some herds of cattle, they took the bells from their necks, fastened them to the tails of the leaders, and chased them over the country yelling like mad.  Radford heard them, and, mounting his horse, rode in hot haste to the store.  I had been sent that morning with grist to the mill, and had to pass the store.  I saw Radford ride up, his horse a lather of foam.  He dismounted, and looked in upon the wreck through the open door He was aghast at the sight, and said, ’I’ll sell out this thing to the first man that comes along.’  I rode up and said, ’I’ll give you four hundred dollars for it.’  ‘Done!’ said he.  ‘But,’ I said, ’I have no money.  I must have time.’  ‘How much?’ ‘Six months.’  ‘Agreed.’  He drew up a note for four hundred dollars at six months, and I signed it.  I began to think I was stuck.  Then the boys came in, and among them was Lincoln.  ‘Cheer up, Billy,’ he said.  ’It’s a good thing.  We’ll take an inventory.’  ‘No more inventories for me,’ said I, not knowing what he meant.  He explained that we should take an account of stock to see how much was left.  We found that it amounted to about twelve hundred dollars.  Lincoln and Berry consulted over it, and offered me two hundred and fifty dollars for my bargain.  I accepted, stipulating that they should assume my notes.  Berry was a wild fellow—­a gambler.  He had a fine horse, with a splendid saddle and bridle.  He turned over the horse as part pay.  Lincoln let Berry run the store, and it soon ran out.  I had to pay the note.  Lincoln said he would pay it some day and did, with interest.”  This ended Lincoln’s brief career as a country merchant.