Telegram-herald., 1890-04-13

DENNIS hANks, STORY.


ns Called ON President Ilneois Esd HsA
an Interesting Exps<isase.
Dennis Hanks, cousin and early COM
panion of Abraham Iincola, still lives.
at tho age Of o.. near Charleston. nls..
and at intervals talks with much aniIna-
ton Of Ilncotns early life. Though ten
years older, he has long outiived the
martyr president. He gives this 60
count Of his only visit to Washington:
when went down 20 Washington TO
see him 1t was about neighbor that had
got into trouble. The folks here sen; me
10 speak 10 Abe about him. II was durin'
the war, and thar was lot o soldiers
around the White House stickin' their
guns In everybody's face. went 10
door-thar's only one, though looked
round fur back door. thinkin' 10 sneak
in. A porter stopped me. and asked as
smart: Who do you want TO seey
"T want to see Abe Lincoln, / says
"sYou can't see him this time o day.
he says as smart.
".You bet ! kim answered him.
He's not goin' back on Dennis Hanks,
his cousin. and the boy he's rassled with,
IL he is the president. / hain't come here
from Illinois TO be told l can't see Abe
Lincoln
''He grinned and showed me tho Office.
There was lot of fellers waitin', but
waded through 'em and opened the door,
and thar sot Abe, as tails his own shad-
der, writin' at a old desk he TUX from
Illinois.
"'HeyS / hollered. You're a purity
president, amt you: Git up hyur and
shake hands. amt after no Office yit,
Abe
"'Well, Dennis, Is that your I'm glad
you don't want an Office. Most of them
do. You've got big heart. but no head
for an Office Then he run and jist geth-
cred me In to him like they did in the
Bible, and so wept q little so l had TO
take my bandanner out. He looked
kinder tired. When told him what I
wanted he said:
"'rm busy today, but I'll get Stanton
to fix that up. You go down and Mary
will give you something to eat and a
shakedown.
al knowed It was too fine for me
where Mary was. She was q good wo-
man, but was too highfalutin' for me; 80
I jist went to tavern and put up. Next
mornin' Abe had lot OF papers for my
case and told me TO take 'em to Stanton.
"'Abe,' says 1, blamed if / know
where the plagueoned place is. So he
called feller and sent the papers, and
pretty soon Mr.. Stanton come lookin'
like jaybird in spike tailed coat, and
snarled about them papers, but Abe got
him to sine 'em. He acted SO ugly that
when he went out said:
"'Abe, If is as big as you l would take
that little feller over my knee and spank
him. Abe, he laughed and said he
guessed Stanton'was a bigger man than
be was in some respects. came home
then and the next spring Abe was shot.
81 heard of it this a way. was sit.
ting in my shop peggin' away at shoe
when a man came in and said: Dennis,
Honest Abe is deadv
dead, dead. Old Abe dead KEEP
sayin to myself. MY God, it amt sor
I went out to see Sairy where she lived
all alone after Tom died, and said,
Grandmother, Abe's dead Yes, !
know says she I've ben q waitin' fur
it. l knowed they'd kill HIM and she
never asked any questions. A body'd a
thought the earth stopped whirlin' fur q
few days, the way everybody went on.
1t was like, even here in Charleston. like
black cloud that covered the sun" The
dim old eyes became blurred by the sad
memory.-Exchange.