One of the doors led to a cushy rodent pad complete with wood shavings, fresh produce and even Cheerios, while the other led to a shallow pool of water.
The shepherd drew a pipe, the bowl as small as an acorn, out of his breast pocket, fumbled for a chunk of speckled tobacco, pared off a few shavings and stuffed the bowl.
Friends lent him books, the cooper opened his shop to him at night so that he could read by a fire of shavings, and schoolmaster Mentor Graham polished Lincoln's command of the English language.