The Arizona sentinel., 1885-05-02
4 Story About Lincoln.


 While officially resident in Washin. 2. ton during the late war I once had oe- casion to call upon President Lincoln with the late Senator Henry Wilson upon an errana of 8 public nature in which we were mutually interested. In the recognized order of precedent member of the House of Representa- tives, as 1 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 and navy, and of the civil service and others had their turns respectively. Having 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, 8 small lad, perhaps 10 or 12 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 8 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 hiro 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, "I am good boy, and have letter from my r=other, and one from the Supervis- ors of my town, and one from my Sum- 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: "f Capt. Goodnow can give place to this good little boy, l shall be gratifed," and signed 1t "A. Lincoln
 The boys face became radiant with hope, and he walked out of the room with 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 en- gagged in one of the most terrible wars waged against men, himself worn down with anxiety and labor, subjected to the alternations 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 numberless 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 uninvited, 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 !-EI- GoV. Rice.