<h2>CHAPTER VIII.</h2>
<h3>THE HUMOROUS SIDE OF HIS CHARACTER.</h3>
<p>No one knew better than Mr. Lincoln that genuine
humor is "a plaster that heals many a wound;"
and certainly no man ever had a larger stock of that
healing balm or knew better how to use it. His old
friend I. N. Arnold once remarked that Lincoln's laugh
had been his "life-preserver." Wit, with that illustrious
man, was a jewel whose mirth-moving flashes he could
no more repress than the diamond can extinguish its
own brilliancy. In no sense was he vain of his superb
ability as a wit and story-teller.</p>
<p>Noah Brooks says in an article written for Harper's
Monthly, three months after Mr. Lincoln's death, that
the President once said, that, as near as he could reckon,
about one sixth only of the stories credited to him were
old acquaintances,—all the others were the productions
of other and better story-tellers than himself. "I
remember," said he, "a good story when I hear it; but
I never invented anything original. I am only a retail-dealer."
No man was readier than he to acknowledge
the force of Shakespeare's famous lines,</p>
<div class="poem">
<span class="i0">"A jest's prosperity lies in the ear</span><br/>
<span class="i0">Of him that hears it; never in the tongue</span><br/>
<span class="i1">Of him that makes it."</span></div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</SPAN></span>Mr. Lincoln's stories were generally told with a well-defined
purpose,—to cheer the drooping spirits of a
friend; to lighten the weight of his own melancholy,—"a
pinch, as it were, of mental snuff,"—to clinch an
argument, to expose a fallacy, or to disarm an antagonist;
but most frequently he employed them simply as
"labor-saving contrivances." He believed, with the
great Ulysses of old, that there is naught "so tedious as
a twice-told tale;" and during my long and intimate
acquaintance with Mr. Lincoln I seldom heard him
relate a story the second time. The most trifling circumstances,
or even a word, was enough to remind him
of a story, the aptness of which no one could fail to see.
He cared little about high-flown words, fine phrases,
or merely ornamental diction; and yet, for one wholly
without scholastic training, he was master of a style
which was remarkable for purity, terseness, vigor, and
force. As Antenor said of the Grecian king, "he spoke
no more than just the thing he thought;" and that
thought he clothed in the simplest garb, often sacrificing
the elegant and poetic for the homely and prosaic in
the structure of his sentences.</p>
<p>In one of his messages to Congress Mr. Lincoln used
the term "sugar-coated." When the document was
placed in the hands of the public printer, Hon. John D.
Defrees, that officer was terribly shocked and offended.
Mr. Defrees was an accomplished scholar, a man of
fastidious taste, and a devoted friend of the President,
with whom he was on terms of great intimacy. It would<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</SPAN></span>
never do to leave the forbidden term in the message;
it must be expunged,—otherwise it would forever remain
a ruinous blot on the fair fame of the President.
In great distress and mortification the good Defrees
hurried away to the White House, where he told Mr.
Lincoln plainly that "sugar-coated" was not in good
taste.</p>
<p>"You ought to remember, Mr. President," said he,
"that a message to the Congress of the United States is
quite a different thing from a speech before a mass
meeting in Illinois; that such messages become a part
of the history of the country, and should therefore be
written with scrupulous care and propriety. Such an
expression in a State paper is undignified, and if I were
you I would alter the structure of the whole sentence."</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln laughed, and then said with a comical
show of gravity: "John, that term expresses precisely
my idea, and I am not going to change it. 'Sugar-coated'
must stand! The time will never come in this
country when the people will not understand exactly
what 'sugar-coated' means."</p>
<p>Mr. Defrees was obliged to yield, and the message was
printed without amendment.</p>
<p>One day at a critical stage of the war, Mr. Lincoln
sat in his office in deep meditation. Being suddenly
aroused, he said to a gentleman whose presence he had
not until that moment observed: "Do you know that I
think General —— is a philosopher? He has proved
himself a really great man. He has grappled with and<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</SPAN></span>
mastered that ancient and wise admonition, 'Know thyself;'
he has formed an intimate acquaintance with himself,
knows as well for what he is fitted and unfitted as
any man living. Without doubt he is a remarkable man.
This war has not produced another like him."</p>
<p>"Why is it, Mr. President," asked his friend, "that
you are now so highly pleased with General ——?
Has your mind not undergone a change?"</p>
<p>"Because," replied Mr. Lincoln, with a merry twinkle
of the eye, "greatly to my relief, and to the interests
of the country, <i>he has resigned</i>. And now I hope some
other dress-parade commanders will study the good
old admonition, 'Know thyself,' and follow his example."</p>
<p>On the 3d of February, 1865, during the so-called
Peace Conference at Hampton Roads between Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Seward on the one side and the Messrs.
Stephens, Campbell, and Hunter on the other, Mr.
Hunter remarked that the recognition of the Confederate
government by President Lincoln was indispensable
as the first step towards peace; and he made
an ingenious argument in support of his proposition,
citing as a precedent for the guidance of constitutional
rulers in dealing with insurgents the case of Charles I.
and his rebel Parliament. This reference to King
Charles as a model for imitation by a President of the
United States was a little unfortunate, but Mr. Lincoln
was more amused than offended by it. Turning to Mr.
Hunter he said: "On the question of history I must
refer you to Mr. Seward, who is posted in such matters.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</SPAN></span>
I don't pretend to be; but I have a tolerably distinct
recollection, in the case you refer to, that Charles lost
his head, and I have no head to spare."</p>
<p>Mr. Hunter, during the same conference, in speaking
of emancipation, remarked that the slaves had always
been accustomed to work on compulsion, under an
overseer; and he apprehended they would, if suddenly
set free, precipitate themselves and the whole social
fabric of the South into irretrievable ruin. In that case
neither the whites nor the blacks would work. They
would all starve together. To this Mr. Lincoln replied:
"Mr. Hunter, you ought to know a great deal more
about this matter than I do, for you have always lived
under the slave system. But the way you state the case
reminds me of an Illinois farmer who was not over-fond
of work, but was an adept in shirking. To this end
he conceived a brilliant scheme of hog culture. Having
a good farm, he bought a large herd of swine. He
planted an immense field in potatoes, with the view of
turning the whole herd into it late in the fall, supposing
they would be able to provide for themselves during
the winter. One day his scheme was discussed between
himself and a neighbor, who asked him how the thing
would work when the ground was frozen one or two
feet deep. He had not thought of that contingency,
and seemed perplexed over it. At length he answered:
'Well, it will be a leetle hard on their snouts, I reckon;
but them shoats will have to root, hog, or die.' And
so," concluded Mr. Lincoln, "in the dire contingency<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</SPAN></span>
you name, whites and black alike will have to look out
for themselves; and I have an abiding faith that they
will go about it in a fashion that will undeceive you in a
very agreeable way."</p>
<p>During the same conference, in response to certain
remarks by the Confederate commissioners requiring
explicit contradiction, Mr. Lincoln animadverted with
some severity upon the conduct of the rebel leaders,
and closed with the statement that they had plainly
forfeited all right to immunity from punishment for the
highest crime known to the law. Being positive and
unequivocal in stating his views concerning individual
treason, his words seemed to fall upon the commissioners
with ominous import. There was a pause, during which
Mr. Hunter regarded the speaker with a steady, searching
look. At length, carefully measuring his own words,
Mr. Hunter said: "Then, Mr. President, if we understand
you correctly, you think that we of the Confederacy
have committed treason; that we are traitors to
your government; that we have forfeited our rights, and
are proper subjects for the hangman. Is not that about
what your words imply?"</p>
<p>"Yes," said Mr. Lincoln, "you have stated the proposition
better than I did. That is about the size of it!"</p>
<p>There was another pause, and a painful one, after
which Mr. Hunter, with a pleasant smile, replied: "Well,
Mr. Lincoln, we have about concluded that we shall
not be hanged as long as you are President—if we
behave ourselves."</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</SPAN></span>There is here as high a compliment as could have been
paid to Mr. Lincoln,—a trust in his magnanimity and
goodness of heart. From the gentleness of his character,
such were the sentiments he inspired even among
his enemies,—that he was incapable of inflicting pain,
punishment, or injury if it could possibly be avoided;
that he was always resolutely merciful and forbearing.</p>
<p>On his return to Washington after this conference,
Mr. Lincoln recounted the pleasure he had had in
meeting Alexander H. Stephens, who was an invalid all
his life; and in commenting upon his attenuated appearance
as he looked after emerging from layers of overcoats
and comforters, Mr. Lincoln said, "Was there ever
such a nubbin after so much shucking?"</p>
<p>At one time when very lively scenes were being
enacted in West Virginia, a Union general allowed himself
and his command to be drawn into a dangerous
position, from which it was feared he would be unable to
extricate himself without the loss of his whole command.
In speaking of this fiasco, Mr. Lincoln said: "General —— reminds
me of a man out West who was engaged
in what they call heading a barrel. He worked diligently
for a time driving down the hoops; but when the job
seemed completed, the head would fall in, and he would
have to do the work all over again. Suddenly, after a
deal of annoyance, a bright idea struck him. He put
his boy, a chunk of a lad, into the barrel to hold up the
head while he pounded down the hoops. This worked
like a charm. The job was completed before he once<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</SPAN></span>
thought about how he was to get the little fellow out
again. Now," said Mr. Lincoln, "that is a fair sample
of the way some people do business. They can succeed
better in getting themselves and others <i>corked up</i> than
in getting uncorked."</p>
<p>During the year 1861 it was difficult to preserve
peace and good order in the city of Washington.
Riots and disturbances were occurring daily, and some
of them were of a serious and sometimes dangerous
nature. The authorities were in constant apprehension,
owing to the disloyal sentiment prevailing, that a riot
might occur of such magnitude as to endanger the safety
of the capital; and this necessitated the utmost vigilance
on their part to preserve order.</p>
<p>On one occasion, when the fears of the loyal element
of the city were excited to fever-heat, a free fight near
the old National Theatre occurred about eleven o'clock
one night. An officer in passing the place observed
what was going on; and seeing the great number of
persons engaged, he felt it to be his duty to command
the peace. The imperative tone of his voice stopped
the fighting for a moment; but the leader, a great bully,
roughly pushed back the officer, and told him to go
away, or he would whip him. The officer again advanced
and said, "I arrest you," attempting to place his hand
on the man's shoulder, when the bully struck a fearful
blow at the officer's face. This was parried, and instantly
followed by a blow from the fist of the officer, striking
the fellow under the chin and knocking him senseless.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</SPAN></span>
Blood issued from his mouth, nose, and ears. It was
believed that the man's neck was broken. A surgeon
was called, who pronounced the case a critical one, and
the wounded man was hurried away on a litter to the
hospital. There the physicians said there was concussion
of the brain, and that the man would die. All
medical skill that the officer could procure was employed
in the hope of saving the life of the man. His conscience
smote him for having, as he believed, taken the
life of a fellow-creature, and he was inconsolable.</p>
<p>Being on terms of intimacy with the President, about
two o'clock that night the officer went to the White
House, woke up Mr. Lincoln, and requested him to
come into his office, where he told him his story. Mr.
Lincoln listened with great interest until the narrative
was completed, and then asked a few questions; after
which he remarked: "I am sorry you had to kill the
man; but these are times of war, and a great many men
deserve killing. This one, according to your story, is
one of them; so give yourself no uneasiness about the
matter. I will stand by you."</p>
<p>"That is not why I came to you. I knew I did my
duty, and had no fears of your disapproval of what I
did," replied the officer; and then he added: "Why I
came to you was, I felt great grief over the unfortunate
affair, and I wanted to talk to you about it."</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln then said, with a smile, placing his hand
on the officer's shoulder: "You go home now and get
some sleep; but let me give you this piece of advice,—hereafter,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</SPAN></span>
when you have occasion to strike a man, don't
hit him with your fist; strike him with a club, a crowbar,
or with something that won't kill him."</p>
<p>The officer then went home, but not to sleep. The
occurrence had a great effect upon him, and was a real
source of discomfort to his mind during the fourteen
months the unfortunate invalid lived, and it left a sincere
regret impressed upon him ever after; but the conciliatory
and kindly view prompted by Mr. Lincoln's tender
heart, and his fidelity to friendship on that occasion, is
to this day cherished in the officer's memory with a
feeling of consecration.</p>
<p>About the first time Mr. Lincoln contemplated leaving
Washington, he was to attend some gathering of the
people in Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York. A
committee waited upon him and urged his attendance
on the occasion, saying that they were sure Mr. Garrett,
the president of the only road then going east out of
Washington, would take great pleasure in furnishing a
special train of cars for him. "Well," said the President,
"I have no doubt of that. I know Mr. Garrett well,
and like him very much; but if I were to believe (which
I don't) everything some people say of him about his
'secesh' principles, he might say to you as was said by
the superintendent of a railroad to a son of one of my
predecessors in office. Some two years after the death
of President Harrison, the son of the incumbent of this
office, contemplating an excursion for his father somewhere
or other, went to order a special train of cars.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</SPAN></span>
At that time politics were very bitter between the Whigs
and the Democrats, and the railroad superintendent
happened to be an uncompromising Whig. The son
made known his demand, which was bluntly refused by
the railroad official, saying that his road was not running
special trains for the accommodation of Presidents just
then. 'What!' said the young man, 'did you not furnish
a special train for the funeral of General Harrison?'
'Yes,' said the superintendent, very calmly; 'and if you
will only bring your father here in that shape you shall
have the best train on the road.' But, gentlemen," continued
Mr. Lincoln, "I have no doubts of Mr. Garrett's
loyalty for the government or his respect for me
personally, and I will take pleasure in going."</p>
<p>General James B. Fry, the Provost-Marshal General
during Mr. Lincoln's Administration, was designated by
the Secretary of War as a special escort to accompany
Mr. Lincoln to the field of Gettysburg upon the occasion
of the anniversary of that battle. The general, on arriving
at the White House and finding the President late
in his preparations for the trip, remarked to him that it
was late, and there was little time to lose in getting to
the train. "Well," said Mr. Lincoln, "I feel about that
as the convict did in Illinois, when he was going to the
gallows. Passing along the road in custody of the sheriff,
and seeing the people who were eager for the execution
crowding and jostling one another past him, he at last
called out, 'Boys! you needn't be in such a hurry to get
ahead, for there won't be any fun till I get there.'"</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</SPAN></span>General Fry also tells of a conversation between Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Stanton, in relation to the selection
of brigadier-generals. Mr. Lincoln was heard to say:
"Well, Mr. Secretary, I concur in pretty much all you
say. The only point I make is, that there has got to
be something done which will be unquestionably in the
interest of the Dutch; and to that end I want Schimmelpfennig
appointed." The secretary replied: "Mr.
President, perhaps this Schimmel—what's-his-name—is
not as highly recommended as some other German
officer." "No matter about that," said Mr. Lincoln;
"his name will make up for any difference there may
be, and I'll take the risk of his coming out all right."
Then, with a laugh, he repeated, dwelling upon each
syllable of the name and accenting the last one,
"Schim-mel-pfen-<i>nig</i> must be appointed."</p>
<p>Mr. Welles, in speaking of the complication into which
Spain attempted to draw the government of the United
States in regard to reclaiming her possessions in San
Domingo, says that the pressure was great on both sides,
and the question a grave and delicate one as to what position
we should take and what course pursue. On the
one side Spain, whose favor we wished to conciliate, and
on the other the appeal of the negroes against Spanish
oppression. Mr. Seward detailed the embarrassments
attending the negotiations to Mr. Lincoln, whose countenance
indicated that his mind was relieved before
Mr. Seward had concluded. He remarked that the
dilemma of the Secretary of State reminded him of an<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</SPAN></span>
interview between two negroes in Tennessee; one was a
preacher, who, with the crude and strange notions of
his ignorant race, was endeavoring to admonish and
enlighten his brother African of the importance of
religion and the danger of the future. "'Dar are,' said
Josh the preacher, 'two roads befo' you, Joe; be careful
which ob dem you take. Narrow am de way dat leads
straight to destruction; but broad am de way dat leads
right to damnation.' Joe opened his eyes with affright,
and under the inspired eloquence of the awful danger
before him, exclaimed, 'Josh, take which road you
please; I shall go troo de woods.' I am not willing,"
said the President, "to assume any new troubles or responsibilities
at this time, and shall therefore avoid going
to the one place with Spain or with the negro to the
other, but shall take to the woods. We will maintain an
honest and strict neutrality."</p>
<p>When Attorney-General Bates resigned, late in 1864,
after the resignation of Postmaster-General Blair in that
year, the Cabinet was left without a Southern member.
A few days before the meeting of the Supreme Court,
which then met in December, Mr. Lincoln sent for
Titian F. Coffey, and said: "My Cabinet has <i>shrunk up</i>
North, and I must find a Southern man. I suppose if
the twelve Apostles were to be chosen nowadays, the
shrieks of locality would have to be heeded."</p>
<p>Mr. Coffey acted as Attorney-General during the time
intervening between the resignation of Mr. Bates and
the appointment of Mr. Speed. He tells about a delegation<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</SPAN></span>
that called on Mr. Lincoln to ask the appointment
of a gentleman as commissioner to the Sandwich Islands.
They presented their case as earnestly as possible; and
besides their candidate's fitness for the place they urged
that he was in bad health, and that a residence in that
balmy climate would be of great benefit to him. The
President closed the interview with this discouraging
remark: "Gentlemen, I am sorry to say that there are
eight other applicants for that place, and they are all
sicker than your man."</p>
<p>In 1858 Mr. Lincoln was engaged at Bloomington, in
a case of very great importance. The attorney on the
other side was a young lawyer of fine abilities, who has
since become a judge. He was a sensible and sensitive
young man, and the loss of a case always gave him great
pain,—to avoid which he invariably manifested an
unusual zeal, and made great preparation for the trial of
his cases. This case of which I speak lasted till late at
night, when it was submitted to the jury. In anticipation
of a favorable verdict, the young attorney spent a
sleepless night in anxiety, and early next morning learned
to his great chagrin that he had lost the case. Mr. Lincoln
met him at the court house some time after the jury
had come in, and asked him what had become of his
case. With lugubrious countenance and in a melancholy
tone the young man replied, "It's gone to hell."
"Oh, well," said Mr. Lincoln, "then you will see it
again."</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln had shown great wisdom in appreciating<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</SPAN></span>
the importance of holding such Democrats as Mr. Douglas
close to the Administration, on the issue of a united
country or a dissolution of the Union. He said: "They
are just where we Whigs were in 1848, about the Mexican
war. We had to take the Locofoco preamble when
Taylor wanted help, or else vote against helping Taylor;
and the Democrats must vote to hold the Union now,
without bothering whether we or the Southern men got
things where they are; and we must make it easy for
them to do this, for we cannot live through the case
without them." He further said: "Some of our friends
are opposed to an accommodation because the South
began the trouble and is entirely responsible for the consequences,
be they what they may. This reminds me of
a story told out in Illinois where I lived. There was a
vicious bull in a pasture, and a neighbor passing through
the field, the animal took after him. The man ran to a
tree, and got there in time to save himself; and being
able to run round the tree faster than the bull, he managed
to seize him by the tail. His bullship seeing himself
at a disadvantage, pawed the earth and scattered
gravel for awhile, then broke into a full run, bellowing at
every jump, while the man, holding on to the tail, asked
the question, 'Darn you, who commenced this fuss?'
Now, our plain duty is to settle the fuss we have before
us, without reference to who commenced it."</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln told another anecdote in connection with
the probable adjustment of the difficulties. Said he:
"Once on a time, a number of very pious gentlemen, all<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</SPAN></span>
strict members of the church, were appointed to take in
charge and superintend the erection of a bridge over a
very dangerous and turbulent river. They found great
difficulty in securing the services of an engineer competent
for the work. Finally, Brother Jones said that Mr.
Meyers had built several bridges, and he had no doubt
he could build this one. Mr. Meyers was sent for. The
committee asked, 'Can you build this bridge?' 'Yes,'
was the answer, 'I can build a bridge to the infernal
regions, if necessary.' The committee was shocked, and
Brother Jones felt called upon to say something in defence
of his friend, and commenced by saying: 'Gentlemen,
I know my friend Meyers so well, and he is so
honest a man and so good an architect, that if he states
positively that he can build a bridge to hell, why, I
believe he can do it; but I feel bound to say that I have
my doubts about the abutment on the infernal side.'
So," said Mr. Lincoln, "when the politicians told me
that the Northern and Southern wings of the Democracy
could be harmonized, why, I believed them of course;
but I had always my doubts about the abutment on the
other side."</p>
<p>Anthony J. Bleeker tells his experience in applying for
a position under Mr. Lincoln. He was introduced by
Mr. Preston King, and made his application verbally,
handing the President his vouchers. The President
requested him to read them, which he commenced to
do. Before Mr. Bleeker had got half through with the
documents, the President cried out, "Oh, stop! you are<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</SPAN></span>
like the man who killed the dog." Not feeling particularly
flattered by the comparison, Mr. Bleeker inquired,
"In what respect?" Mr. Lincoln replied, "He had a
vicious animal which he determined to dispatch, and
accordingly knocked out his brains with a club. He
continued striking the dog until a friend stayed his hand,
exclaiming, 'You needn't strike him any more, the dog
is dead; you killed him at the first blow.' 'Oh, yes,'
said he, 'I know that; but I believe in punishment after
death.' So, I see, you do." Mr. Bleeker acknowledged
that it was possible to do too much sometimes, and he
in his turn told an anecdote of a good priest who converted
an Indian from heathenism to Christianity; the
only difficulty he had with him was to get him to pray
for his enemies. "The Indian had been taught by his
father to overcome and destroy them. 'That,' said the
priest, 'may be the Indian's creed, but it is not the doctrine
of Christianity or the Bible. Saint Paul distinctly
says, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
give him drink."' The Indian shook his head at this
and seemed dejected, but when the priest added, '"For
in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head,"'
the poor convert was overcome with emotion, fell on his
knees, and with outstretched hands and uplifted eyes
invoked all sorts of blessings on his adversary's head,
supplicating for pleasant hunting-grounds, a large supply
of squaws, lots of papooses, and all other Indian comforts,
till the good priest interrupted him (as you did
me), exclaiming, 'Stop, my son! You have discharged<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</SPAN></span>
your Christian duty, and have done more than enough.'
'Oh, no, father,' says the Indian, 'let me pray! I want
to burn him down to the stump!'" Mr. Bleeker got
the position.</p>
<p>"Mr. Lincoln," wrote one who knew him very well,<SPAN name="FNanchor_G_12" id="FNanchor_G_12"></SPAN><SPAN href="#Footnote_G_12" class="fnanchor">[G]</SPAN>
"was a good judge of men, and quickly learned the
peculiar traits of character in those he had to deal with.
He pointed out a marked trait in one of the Northern
governors who was earnest, able, and untiring in keeping
up the war spirit of his State, but was at times overbearing
and exacting in his intercourse with the general
government. Upon one occasion he complained and
protested more bitterly than usual, and warned those in
authority that the execution of their orders in his State
would be beset by difficulties and dangers. The tone of
his dispatches gave rise to an apprehension that he
might not co-operate fully in the enterprise in hand.
The Secretary of War, therefore, laid the dispatches
before the President for advice or instructions. They
did not disturb Mr. Lincoln in the least. In fact, they
rather amused him. After reading all the papers, he
said in a cheerful and reassuring tone: 'Never mind,
those dispatches don't mean anything. Just go right
ahead. The governor is like the boy I saw once at the
launching of a ship. When everything was ready, they
picked out a boy and sent him under the ship to knock
away the trigger and let her go. At the critical moment
everything depended on the boy. He had to do the job<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</SPAN></span>
well by a direct, vigorous blow, and then lie flat and
keep still while the ship slid over him. The boy did
everything right; but he yelled as if he were being murdered,
from the time he got under the keel until he got
out. I thought the skin was all scraped off his back;
but he wasn't hurt at all. The master of the yard told
me that this boy was always chosen for that job, that he
did his work well, that he never had been hurt, but that
he always squealed in that way. That's just the way
with Governor ——. Make up your minds that he is
not hurt, and that he is doing his work right, and pay
no attention to his squealing. He only wants to make
you understand how hard his task is, and that he is on
hand performing it.'"</p>
<p>Time proved that the President's estimation of the
governor was correct.</p>
<p>Upon another occasion a Governor went to the office
of the Adjutant-General bristling with complaints. The
Adjutant, finding it impossible to satisfy his demands,
accompanied him to the Secretary of War's office, whence,
after a stormy interview with Secretary Stanton he went
alone to see the President. The Adjutant-General expected
important orders from the President or a summons
to the White House for explanation. After some
hours the Governor returned and said with a pleasant
smile that he was going home by the next train and
merely dropped in to say good-bye, making no allusion to
the business upon which he came nor his interview with
the President. As soon as the Adjutant-General could<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</SPAN></span>
see Mr. Lincoln he told him he was very anxious to learn
how he disposed of Governor ——, as he had started to
see him in a towering rage, and said he supposed it was
necessary to make large concessions to him as he seemed
after leaving the President to be entirely satisfied. "O,
no," replied Mr. Lincoln, "I did not concede anything.
You know how that Illinois farmer managed the big log
that lay in the middle of his field? To the inquiries of
his neighbors one Sunday he announced that he had got
rid of the big log. 'Got rid of it!' said they. 'How
did you do it? It was too big to haul out, too knotty to
split, and too wet and soggy to burn. What did you
do?' 'Well, now, boys,' replied the farmer, 'if you
won't divulge the secret, I'll tell you how I got rid of it.
I plowed around it.' Now," said Lincoln, "don't tell
anybody, but that is the way I got rid of Governor ——,
I plowed around him, but it took me three mortal hours
to do it, and I was afraid every minute he would see
what I was at."</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln enjoyed telling of the youth who emigrated
to the West and wrote back East to his father who
was something of a politician: "Dear Dad,—I have
settled at —— and like it first rate. Do come out here,
for almighty mean men get office here."</p>
<p>Thurlow Weed tells of breakfasting with Lincoln and
Judge Davis while in Springfield in December prior to
Mr. Lincoln's first inauguration. Judge Davis remarked
Mr. Weed's fondness for sausage and said, "You seem
fond of our Chicago sausages." To which Mr. Weed<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</SPAN></span>
responded that he was, and thought the article might be
relied on where pork was cheaper than dogs. "That,"
said Mr. Lincoln, "reminds me of what occurred down in
Joliet, where a popular grocer supplied all the villagers
with sausages. One Saturday evening, when his grocery
was filled with customers, for whom he and his boys
were busily engaged in weighing sausages, a neighbor
with whom he had had a violent quarrel that day came
into the grocery, made his way up to the counter, holding
two enormous dead cats by the tail, which he deliberately
threw onto the counter saying, 'This makes seven
to-day. I'll call round Monday and get my money
for them.'"</p>
<p>Mr. Lincoln read men and women quickly, and was so
keen a judge of their peculiarities that none escaped his
observation.</p>
<p>Once a very attractive woman consumed a good deal
of Mr. Lincoln's time. He finally dismissed her with a
card directed to Secretary Stanton on which he had
written: "This woman, dear Stanton, is a little smarter
than she looks to be."</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</SPAN></span></p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />