Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-02-14

hat and leave the Office.
Lincoln generally got to the
office in the morning at o'clock, ~
and when it later Herndon, -
his partner, knew there had Sz
been trouble at home, for Lin
coin then had cheerful morn
ing greeting, only grunt, as he
fell wolfshly upon the morn I#
ing's mail. He might have
luncled easily enough, at home,
but ne preferred crackers and 8
cheese the Office and often ~
stayed there until after dark. t%
Sometimes he would knock | Sss$ss$S.z
,f' in the late afternoon and | ~ ##ss$
clean out stable and ~
wood, the horse and milk
the He had passion for
chores" of his boyhood days Il
his fathers pitiful acres He MM
his hired man until and ssA
even after his election presi-
dent. At midnight a neighbor
him chopping wood for
his supper when his wife was
away. NSs#s
ela IN Lincoln l9s sssn WOULD ho oFdsa ny
go to the grocery store and
speIbind the cracker box ZNICCZexL
habitues with of his y, <2O6SAE4
everlasting anecdotes-only two N Z1~EC-
of which, he insisted, his
own invention If minstrel
show came to town he
be front-row, frst-night patron, and, next to
bIackface comedy, he enamored of magic
lantern" entertainments He had passion for
probing into the mysteries of anything mechanical,
and if he were alive today the automobile would
have given him great joy.
When circuit riding in the ante-raiway days he
would utilize the rest of the noon hour after lunch
con wayside farmhouse in crawling under
and prowling over the harvest machinery, as full
questions a schoolboy, more insatiably
curious than any of Ewes daughters. As he
walked the streets of Springfield every vehicle he
saw interested him, and the interior economy of
the kitchen clock pleased him unutterably.
In the house he spent most of his time indulging
his children playing with the cat. like Montaigne.
or 1Xiy g-1odO Ike "a he of
the hall reading. He didn't like the parlor be-
the haircloth chairs and marble table, the
flowers under glass bell, the portrait al
bum and the family Bible, with their huge glass
clasps, represented Mrs. Lincoln's ideas Of mag
nifcence and not his own notion of solid comfort
He would be in his shirt sleeves, and If loud
knocking at the front disturbed his elegant
leisure he would go to the door just as he was
and promise to ~trot the women folks OUT without
delay Mrs Lincoln never forgave him for help
ing himself to butter at the table with his own
knife.
Lincoln's favorite outer garb he sailed forth
n winter for his Office was an ancient gray shawl
he took particular pains never to have his hat
brushed or his shoes BACKED; his carpet bag
threatened the to disgorge its burthen of
legal documents; his green cotton umbrella had
handle to speak Of and inside was the legend.
"A Lincoln the letters cut out of white muslin
and sewed to the faded cloth. Altogether he
looked like the advance agent of a Denman
Thompson show In 1856 pair of spectacles
him thirtyseven and one-haf cents
The Office in character with the notorious
Indifference appearances of the senior partner
of the firm Once young law student attempted
to blaze a trail through the accumulated rubbish.
and found that seeds given by congress
man had taken and sprouted in the dirt
The mailbox Lincoln's old plug hat.
formerly the when he was postmaster at
New Salem. He also used the hat repository
for legal papers OF Importance Miscellaneous
transactions confided to the safekeeping of
mammoth envelope. which Lincoln had
scrawled When you can't find 1T anywhere else.
look into this"
When Lincoln went into court there
of the see-theconquering-hero swagger about him.
He would say. Well here am, amt you glad to
see me-" il in the of the argument 1t
necessary for him to concede point to the
other side he would remark. 4 reckon it would be
fair to let in that and when overruled by the
court would laugh and say, We'll, reckon must
be wrong
When lawyer asked him if attachment had
the force Of a summons his confession of fgnor-
cheerfuly frank, '.Damfno." On long
palavering letter requesting his legal service he
wrote iaconically, Count in A. Lincoln"
The accounts of the firm never bothered him
he left all that to Herndon- He disigured
the account book himself with a reckoning. When
anybody gave him money for legal services he
would divide with Herndon. If the latter was in
the ONCE, and when Herndon not there he
would wrap the money up in piece of paper.
mark it in pencil Case of Smith Jones
Herndons half" and leave it in a drawer of his
partners desk
When they made him president and he was just
about to take the train for Washington he went
to the old office for the last time and found Herr
don there.