Derived from the NPS website for Lincoln at Springfield
Abraham Lincoln came to Springfield on April 15, 1837. Carl Sandburg tells the story of how Lincoln walked into Joshua Speed's store and asked the price of bedclothes. Seventeen dollars was the answer. "Cheap as it is," Lincoln said, "I have not the money to pay, but if you will credit me until Christmas, and my experiment here as a lawyer is a success, I will pay you then. If I fail in that, I will probably never pay at all."