The sun., 1909-12-26
. REMlNISCEN NCE }


or the typewriter OF the other had been
oyerworked my sister Laura and would
dine out. We would then no to the highly
respectable establishment OF Mrs. Euphe-
mia Craw. pleasantly overlooking Capitol
Park.
The house had a fame--I came near
saving famine-independen OF its meals.
II was said to be part OF the DUFF Green
row. the very house indeed In which
Abraham Lincoln lived during his single
and inconspicuous term in Congress.
The fact that this row had long before
been removed to make way for the Con-
gressional Library in no way weakened
the tale. Mrs. Craw kept a vacant place
scrupulously set at her table. with the
yeritable chair in which the great Emanoi-
pator sat. Thus is history written.
The CONGRESSIONAL party at this house
was for the most part the serious minded
and austere product OF the West. There
were single Congressmen, gaunt and
unpolished save for the grind Of duty.
and married Congressmen. pudgy and
polite. with their grim and worn wives
resentfully left at the starting point
hy their more adaptable mates. Digcs-
ton was aided by verbal variants from
the Statistical Abstract. with now and then
paraphrase OF the President's message
or an unconscious plagiarism Of webster's
reply to Haynes and all was as solemn
as the funeral bell.
Il vas late one evening when Laura
and | went over TO dinner. Many Of the
guests had eaten and gone in what might
be called double bolt. A general mussi-
ness tempered the impression OF home
which Mrs. Craw was thought to deem
one of her chief attractions. That lady's
voice could be heard from the kitchen
trying to get the cook to explain why
the butter had given out.
The one spotless space at the table was
by Lincoln's vacant chair. and In this
chair Laura daintily settled herself. with
an apprehensive glance 20 the right and
the left. aus she drew her skirts closely
about her. A young man directly oppo-
site. an awkward combination Of sallow
and black in lanky lines. looked up az he
might at a laugh during prayer.
Pardon me. miss.' he said. you are
perhaps unaware that that chair 10 sacred
Our martyred President occupied 1t when
he boarded here while in Congress- and
his expression said lot more.
Laura rose. She turned the chair
about. She pointed TO an inscription
plainly stamped on it's back. lt read.
kalamazoo, 1s7e.' Then she sat down
again. without a word
THANK you.' said the young man after
an awed pause. I am the more anxious
that all meretricious relics OF that great
III. ILL sho ;o.....s ~ s,es,.sis.,.... ~
genuine relic" Here he looked toward the
other end of the table where two ladies
were sitting and sighed: Il am Silas
,;..In y. " ~ 1s 49,. .hS,s 49,. J se
e Lwu ,l,,s -" .ss .n,'asJ 49,. - =,
LII nncoan Sn..a,n. spn. ra''s Auo 'en"eo s'ore vs. !"
Then ne vent on 70 ssp's,n h sneL h:s ne rs,.S s
m queseion s,si W. nuss snoo VIZ wn.cn =, - -
s.o~O ~ " ps D., 4 Is.aDsI.. y. W. S.Is y. ~
s.o SUI ~ q .Iuoos., ~ ;,.ssrs,,.ss.sS
hiI I ,,,. T.. Nv, "a ~ r. ns,v.'n,ss.,,s
p'lI 10 IUr ~ Ms py puryiasn1 ~ ~ .nG 80 einlnen'
ior ssS.ooo ~ order ina. = m.gns oe appro-
prIA!eiv PisssI ' 81 as an anconsNe So s1n-
erasions YET 70 come; -.
r.a.sEd Ion c;U,ar,, you .yo,, To rn;rb, ,,,,
Laura touched me waruinrly under
the table. Already could tell from her
s sowy eyes an i'sins s,us SI. r. unss n.'.., s.,e
thies we're sroused Whv then knew
she was thinking, shouldn't the Govern
ment give such a trine In order that that
widow IN piack st sne otner enc m,gnt oe
sida ba $780, o 81" " "0'
Just then Mrs. Crav returned red and
worried from her kitchen warfare. Don't
say anything about the chair Laura
;Hconss MO 70 MUM n,d IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS r ,cn;S
of hers There NAV be some miatsfe:
a stupid servant might have made a sub
stitution. I'm sure Mrs. Craw 10 sincere.
ana ao u Is suoh 9 penens 70 Der in ner narq
do uLa fun Don't Won,
-Now. here's a bargain. II you keen
this poor little secret that doesn't harm
living soul III help you pass the plll.
hro,hsr Gp 1 pssposS yor ~. NJ 1,.n
who Of course does exactly what he saws
Il seems to me that is little enough for the
Government to give; and she is pretty.
,sn s,no sne Ihousn sne o"esh 'ooA 'e'y
Mr. Munn,s obee,s reddened confess
ingly as ne accepted Iauras terms and
thanked her for her valued cooperation.
oh' could nave snsken her-
H.
Shaking. however. IL Ouly efficaciOus