Part 36 (1/2)

”Approaching the heroic youth, as he ringing the water froarments, I inquired,

”'Your father, is he?'

”'No, sir,' was the quick reply, 'he ain't randfather, then?'

”'No, sir, he ain't randfather nuther, he ain't no kin toimperilled his own life to save a man as no kin to him, the boy replied,'

”'You see, dis was de way of it boss; _de ole man, he had de bait!”_

XLI ANECDOTES ABOUT LINCOLN

LINCOLN'S TROUBLE WITH THREE EMANcipaTION ENTHUSIASTS--A SCHOOLBOY'S TROUBLE WITH SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO--PRETTY WELL OFF WITH A FORTUNE OF FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS--LINCOLN REBUKES SOME RICH MEN WHO DEMAND A GUNBOAT FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW YORK

The Hon John B Henderson, now of Washi+ngton City, but during the war and the early reconstruction period a distinguished Union Senator fro incident of Mr Lincoln

During the gloomy period of 1862, late one Sunday afternoon he called upon the President and found his alone in his library

After some moments Mr Lincoln, apparentlyevery effort, Henderson, to induce me to issue a Proclamation of Emancipation Su me, but I don't think it best now; do _you_ think so, Henderson?” To which the latter promptly replied that he did not think so; that such a ment, be ill-advised and possibly disastrous ”Just what I think,” said the President, ”but they are constantly co me, sometiether,_ but constantly pressing me” With that he walked across the rooh, Wilson, Stevens, and Su his visitor to theand pointing to the approaching figures, in a tone expressing so of that wondrous sense of humor that no burden or disaster could wholly dispel, he said, ”Henderson, did you ever attend an old field school?” Henderson replied that he did

”So did I,” said the President; ”what little education I ever got in early life was in that way I attended an old field school in Indiana, where our only reading-book was the Bible One day ere standing up reading the account of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace A little tow-headed felloho stood beside led up Shadrach and Meshach woefully, and finally went all to pieces on Abednego S under the blohich, in accordance with the old-time custom, promptly followed his delinquency, the little fellow sobbed aloud The reading, however, went round, each boy in the class reading his verse in turn The sobbing at length ceased, and the tow-headed boy gazed intently upon the verses ahead

”Suddenly he gave a pitiful yell, at which the school-master demanded:

”'What is the matter with you now?'

”'Look there,' said the boy, pointing to the next verse, 'there coain!'”

As indicating the slight concern Mr Lincoln had about nificance of the expression ”well-off” half a century or so ago, the following conversation, related by Judge Weldon, is in point

At the opening of the De Witt Circuit Court in May, 1859, just a year before his first nomination for the Presidency, Mr Lincoln was present, unattended for possibly the first ti friend, Major John T Stuart Upon inquiry fro, Lincoln replied, ”No, Stuart told me that he would not be here this terotten to be pretty well off and doesn't have to attend all the courts in the Circuit”

”Yes,” replied Lincoln, ”Stuart is pretty well to do, pretty well to do”

”How much is the Major probably worth, Mr Lincoln?” asked Mr

Weldon

”Well,” replied the latter, after a ht, ”I don't know exactly; Stuart is pretty well off; _I suppose he must be worth about fifteen thousand dollars”_

Another incident characteristic of Mr Lincoln, was related by his friend Judge Weldon

During the gloomiest period of the war, and while our seaboard cities were in constant apprehension of attack, a delegation of business ton for the purpose of having a gunboat secured for the defence of their city At their request, Judge Weldon accompanied them to the Executive Mansion and introduced theation, after depicting at length and in soreat metropolis, took occasion, in manner at once conclusive, to state that he spoke with authority, that the gentle in value many hundreds ofiotten, said:

”It seeentlemen, that if I were as rich as you _say_ you are, and as badly _scared_ as you _appear_ to be, I would, in this hour of unboat myself!”_

XLII THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE assEMBLY IN AMERICA