Year: 1875

AS the President was passing through
the wards Of a hospital near Washington
upon one occasion he observed in one of
the beds a young soldier, whose pallid
countenance and expressionless, glass y
eyes betokcned great physical and mental
prostration, and he inquired of the attend.
ing surgeon if there was any prospect oil
his ultimate recovery.


Not tho slightest" replied the doctor.
"His vital powers are rapidly ebbing
away, and will soon be exhausted"


81 am heartily sorry for the poor boy"
said Mr.. Lincoln, land | should like to
do something to make his last hours pass
as comfortably as possible Would there
be any harm in my speaking to him ~
added he. And upon being assured there
would not he sat down by the bedside
and taking the young mans hand in the
kindest possible tone of voice said, "My
young friend, ] an the President of the
United States, and am informed by the
doctor that you can not possibly live but
short time. Now if there is any request t
you would like TO make in regard TO your
family, it will afford me very great satis.
faction to comply with it,"


The youth turned his dim eyes toward
the President, but made no response until
the question was repeated, when, with
great effort, he succeeded in giving arti-
culaticn to his thanks and expressed an
earnost ivsiIv TO svv hia aged grant,
mother, who. he said, was living in Ban.
gor, Maine.


The President, after assuring him that
every eflort should be made to crafty
his wishes, bade him kind adieu, and
calling the medical officer aside, asked if
there was any prospect o! the young
mans surviving until the old lady could
be telegraphed to and come to Washing
ton, and he seemed good deal perplcxod
on beng told there was no hope OF this ;
but after a moments reflection, he said
the only expedient that occurred TO him
under the circumstances was the exercise
Of a little Of that harmless strategy which
was always allowable in war times that
if he could only fnd some old woman who
would consent to personate the grand
mother, the boy was in such state Of
lethargy that he would not probably de-
tect the deception, aud would die with the
cousoliug belief that he had received the
parting benediction Of his aged relative


That would certainly be perfectly
justi6able device replied ,ho surgeon :;
"but where will you find the elderly fc-
male ~ rnuo, the part of tho =r"n1mo'h
err


"Let me soe,' soliloquized Mr. Lincoln,
holding up his left hand while be enumer.
ated with the index finger Of tie right
hand there is old Mrs. B-r, old
Mrs, Six, and old Mrs Ms;
they ale all most benevolent ladies', but
am apprehensive they could not be pre-
vailed upon to underti Ike anything which
involved the faintest shadow of deception.
No, no" continued he, "there is no houc
from that direction; but if could cnly
induce my venerable friend Gideon Wei
les to personate the old lady, in suitable
costume, the object would be attained
and nobody harmed


But remarked the doctor, Mr..
Welles's long white beard would at once
expose the artifce'


That can all be obyiated by his wear.
ing night cap, tied down so as to cover
up the beard, said the President Ac.
cordingly he sat down at once and ad-
dressed a note to the secretary of the
navy, begging him, as special favor, to
comply with the request at as early mo-
ment as practicable, as the boy's hours
we're numbered.


Now it so happened when the secretary
received this communication he was busi.
ly engaged in official transactions, which,
in his opinion, were OF so much conse-
quencc that they could not be postponed
for anything else, and he replied that be
entertained high appreciation of the
honor conferred upon him by the Pros-
dents selecting him to perform the chief
rolc in tho sad little drama indicated, but
unfortunately he was at that very moment
deeply absorbed in the solution of the
difficult problem as to whether Noah's
ark or the new model gun-boat was hest
adapted TO the purposes OF modern war
fare