The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-07-28
A story ibont Lincoln.

While officially resident In Washing
ton during the late war I once had oc-
casion to call upon President Lincoln
with the late Senator Henry Wilson
upon an errana of public nature in
which we were mutually interested. In
the recognized order of precedent a
member of the House of Representa-
tives, as / then was, could not, in times
of pressure for audience with the Presi--
dent, gain admittance SO long as there
were Cabinet Ministers, members of the
Diplomatic Corps, Senators or Justices
of the Supreme Court desiring audience
with him, and all civilians must wait
their opportunity until after members of
Congress and officers of the army ard
navy, and of the civil service and others
had their turns respectively. Having
a Joint errand with Senator Wilson, I
could avail myself of his privilege of
earlier admission; but we were obliged
to wait some time in the ante-room
before we could be received, and, when
at length the door was opened to us,
small lad, perhaps 10 Or IL years old,
who had been waiting for admission
several days without success, slipped
in between us, and approached the
President in advance. The latter
gave the Senator and myself cordial
but brief salutation, and turning imme-
diately to the lad said, "And who is the
little boy?" During their conference
the Senator and myself were apparently
forgotten. The boy soon told his story,
which was in substance that he had come
to Washington seeking employment as
page in the House of Representatives,
and he wished the President to give him
such an appointment. To this the Pres
ident replied that such appointments
were not at his disposal, and that appli-
cation must be made to the Doorkeeper
of the House at the Capitol. But,
sir" said the lad, still undaunted, 81
am good boy, and have letter from
my mother, and one from the Supervis-
ors of my town, and one from my Sun.
day-school teacher, and they all told me
that could earn enough one session of
Congress to keep my mother and the
rest of us comfortable all the remainder
of the year." The President took the
lads papers and ran his eye over them
with that penetrating and absorbent
look so familiar to all who knew him,
and then took his pen and wrote upon
the back of one of them: eff Capt.
Goodnow can give place to this good
little boy, I shall be gratifed," and
signed it "A. Lincoln
The boys face became radiant with
hope, and he walked out OF the room
with a step as light as though all the
angels were whispering their congratula-
tions.
Only after the lad had gone did the
President seem to realize that Senator
and another person had been some time
waiting to see him.
Think for moment of the President
of great nation, and that nation on
gagged in one of the most terrible wars
waged against men, himself worn down
with anxiety and labor, subjected to the
alterations of success and defeat
racked by complaints of the envious, the
disloyal and the unreasonable, pressed
to the decision of grave questions of
public policy, and encountered by the
numbelless and nameless Incidents of
civil and martial responsibility, yet able
SO far to forget them all as to give him
self up for the time being to the errand
Of little boy who had braved an inter-
view unlimited, and of whom he knew
nothing, but that he had story to tell
OF his widowed mother, and of his am
bition to serve her Ed Coz. Rice.