ABE LINCOLN’S HONEST MAN.

Western Star, Issue 1292, 27 February 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

ABE LINCOLN’S HONEST MAN.

“ When I first entered upon my duties as president,” said Mr. Lincoln, grasping our arm in his peculiar way with one of his long, bony hands, while he ran his fingers through and brushed back his shaggy black hair, “ I fully made up my mind to appoint to offico those only whom I knew to be honest and who had suitable ability. In any event, honesty should be the pre-requisite, as the lack of a little ability might be easily made up by an honest man endeavouring to do his whole duty conscientiously. While this resolve was fresh upon me, there came to visit me a very old friend, a minister who had travelled so fast that he had, not yet shaken the Illinois real estate off his capacious boots.

“ ‘ Why, what brings you here. Mr. Shofle ?’ (Which was not his name, but it will do just as well.) “‘Well,’ he replied, ‘I came down here, firstly, to see you and get an old fashioned shake of the hand, and, secondly, to say that the folks of my congregation are so poor that they can hardly afford me a decent living, and I thought maybe you could give me some sort of an office that would pay me better," “ ‘ Certainly,’ I answered quickly, for 1 knew he wa# an honest man, and I was looking for stock of that kind. * Have yon in view any particular office ?’ “ • No,’ said the Rev. Mr. Shofle complacently. * I should not know what to select if yon were to hand me a list to choose from.’ “ * Nor I what to give you, but I wHt tell yom who will help you out. You know Colonel Chootsper of our county. He is now on duty in the treasury department. Go and see him. He is a man of resources, and will get you out of your difficulty. Come back to-morrow and report.’ “ The next day, according to promise, Shofle put in an appearance, and said that the colonel had recommended him to apply for a certain position in the revenue department. . “ * What is the salary ?’ said I, signing in a mechanical way a pile of commissions. “ • Two thousand dollars a year.’ “ * Well, do you think that enough? I may be able to do better for you.’ I knew he was au honest man and thought be might just as well as not get a place where he could earn more money.

“ * Ob, plenty. Uncle Abe, for that is more than double the amount I’ve been earning for years past.’ “Now I began to think,” said our martyr president, “ that I should have to force him into a place paying a larger salary and where government would have a corresponding return for his valuable services, for I was more than ever if that were possible—convinced that he was an honest man. But I finally decided to give him his own way, and he was appointed accordingly. Oft he went rejoicing, bat I felt rather mean at my one horse gift to my good, honest, reverend friend.

“Three years elapsed, and the anxieties attending the war bad completely driven from my mind, for the time being, the incident just related, when my messenger brought me a card bearing the familiar name * Bev. Adam Shofle.’ And immediately there flashed across my mind all the circumstances attending my appointing him to office. I directed him to be shown in, and in walked, with creaky boots, one of the best and finest dressed men I had seen in many a day. I recognised his countenance at a glance, but it was bis marvellous clothes that troubled me. They sat easily enough upon his body, but somehow or other they did not sit so easy on my mind. But wherefore I could not for the life of me tell, if I had tried, which I didn’t. '"

•» * Good morning, Mr. President ’—no longer Uncle Abe, as before—said he m a sort of grandiloquent manner, ‘ I hope you are well and getting on nicely.’ “ • Oh, yes," said I, 4 Wo poor folks eke out a living after a fashion,’ intending to give him the bit in his moutb, for I know what an honest man he was and how much—l aouldn’t tell then exactly how much, for 1 had lost the run of him —we were indebted to him. “•Mr. President, I have come to resign my office.’ ‘ ' ' ’ Feeling somewhat ns though I had been struck by lightning, I managed to exclaim, • Indeed!’

“ * Yes. I feel that there are many others deserving of the place, and that it is my duty to' make way for them.’ “‘Was there ever such an honest man as that ?’ said I to myself, chuckling over my stupidity on the clothes surprise. ‘ But,’ said I, aloud, *l’m afraid you are not considering yourself, Friend Shofle, and that when you go back to preaching you will be as bard up as when you came here three years ago. Hadn’t you better hold on a little longer, say a year more, and let us both go out of office together.’ “ ‘ No, thank you. I «n going to Europe during that time, but I hope to see you here, as president, when I return,’ and, after a few more kind expressions off went Rev. Shofle. “ About a month after, one of the reverend gentleman's neighbours paid me a visit, and, among other things, remarked casually that I had * done a pretty good thing for Shofle.” “‘ Yea,’ I replied, “ I gave hia# a #2,000 a year position for three years.’ “ ‘ Besides Jhe balance!” added my visitor. ‘Why, if he’s worth a cent, he is worth to-day #200,000. and 1 can prove it if necessary.’ “ What could the idiot mean P To satisty myself of the falsity of the charge, I sent detectives to where he lived, and they brought back word that he had made his #B,OOO salary ia the aggregate yield fully #2oo,ooo—but then I knew he was an honest man, and there must be a mistake somewhere!”

“ By the way,” added Mr. Lincoln, with one of his knowing winks, “We have plenty of ‘ Shofles ’ deft, but the mischief of it is it is hard finding them out, and they are not considerate enough to resign, as did our honest friend Shofle.”