West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-05-12
a story Asout Lincoln.

story ASout Lincoln.
While officially resident in Washington
Daring the late war. writes Ex-Governor
Rice. l once had occasion to call upon
President Lincoln with the late Senator
Henry Wilson, upon an eTrand Of bubble
nature in which we were mutually inter
ested. In the recognized order of pIece &.
dent member # the House Of Rspresen-
tgtlyes, as / then was, could MT In times
OF pressure for audience with the Prts-
dent gain Ambulance so long as there
were Cabinet Ministers, members of the
Diplomatic Corps, Senators or Justices OF
the Supreme Court detitiug au fence with
HIM, and all civilians must wait their OPP
pOrtunity until after members Of Congress
and officers of the Array and Navy, aud
OF the Civil Service and others had their
turns respectively. Having a joint er.
rand with Senator Wilson, | could avail
of his privilege of carrier admission but
we were obliged 10 wait some time ia the
ante-rOom befO-o We could lie received
and when at length the door was opened
to W., small lad. perhaps ten or twelve
years old, who had Ueen waiting for All e
mission several days without success, Slip
ped ia between us, and approached the
Pos dent IN advance. The latter gave the
Senator and raYself cordial but Driet sa.
luton, and turning Immediately To the
lad, said "And who Is the little boy p
During their conference the Senator and
myself were apparently forgotten. he
boy soon told his story, which was In sub
stance that he had come TO Washington
seeking employment as page in the
House of Representatives, and ne wished
the President TO give him such an appoint
ment. To this the President replied thai
such appointments were not al his dispo-
sal, and that application must be made to
the door keeper of the House at The Capt.
tai. but sir, SAID the lad, still undaun-
ted, Il am good boy, and have letter
from my mother, and one from the Super.
visors of my Town, and one from my
Sunday school teacher, and they all tod
me that could earn enough in one sess-
ion Of Congress To keep my mother and
the rest Of us comfortable all the remain -
der of the year" The President took the
lad papers, and ran his eye over them
with that penetrating and absorbent looY
so familiar To all who knew him, an4 then
took his pen and wrote upon the back of
one of them IF Captain Goodnow can
give place TO this good little boy, / shall
be gratified." and signed it "a. Lincoln y
The boys face became radiant with
hope, and lie walked out of the room
with u step as light b lhough all the an
gels were Whispering their cUngralula-
tons.
Only after the lad had gene did thu
President seem TO resliz. that Senator
and another person had been some time
waiting 10 see him.
Think for moment of the p esident Of
great nation, and that nation engaged In
one OF the most terrible waIs ever waged
among men, himself worn Gown with anx-
iety and labor, subjected To the alterna-
tiuus of succtss md defeat, racked by
complaints Of the envICus, the disloysl
ara the uureasOns Bile pressed To the decis-
ion Cf grave questions If public polio,
ond sncurICered 10y the numberless gbd
nameloss ircidenis of civil aud martial re-
sponsibllily. We. able SO for to forget them
all as 10 give himself up FIR the time be
ing to the GRAND Of u lntle boy Who hao
braved an interview uninvit,d, and OF
whom he knew nothing, but that he had u
story To tell Of his widowed o,her, ana
of his ambition to serve her! -