Early in 1831, “Abe” was one of the guests of honor at a boat-launching,
he and two others having built the craft. The affair was a notable one,
people being present from the territory surrounding. A large party came
from Springfield with an ample supply of whisky, to give the boat and
its builders a send-off. It was a sort of bipartisan mass-meeting, but
there was one prevailing spirit, that born of rye and corn. Speeches
were made in the best of feeling, some in favor of Andrew Jackson and
some in favor of Henry Clay. Abraham Lincoln, the cook, told a number
of funny stories, and it is recorded that they were not of too refined a
character to suit the taste of his audience. A sleight-of-hand performer
was present, and among other tricks performed, he fried some eggs
in Lincoln’s hat. Judge Herndon says, as explanatory to the delay in
passing up the hat for the experiment, Lincoln drolly observed: “It was
out of respect for the eggs, not care for my hat.”