Lincolniana; Or, The Humors of Uncle AbeAdderup, Andrew
General
Lincolniana; Or, The Humors of Uncle Abe
Adderup, Andrew
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Anecdotes
Uncle Abe, who takes such things philosophically, and always
acknowledges a palpable hit with grace and good natured cheerfulness,
went to his Secretary of the Treasury, to exhibit his bird, in order
that the latter might enjoy the joke with him. Mr. Chase, however, was
not disposed to take the matter in the same spirit Uncle Abe did; but
appeared to be much out of humor at this hieroglyphical attack upon his
department of the government. In tones in which there was evidently a
slight admixture of irritability, he remarked to Uncle Abe that he would
like to know who had made this unwarrantable attack upon his financial
management of the affairs of the nation--that he feared that some of his
subordinates had got up this libel upon him, and that he would give
a hundred dollars to know who had done it. Uncle Abe? whose
question-asking proclivities are well known, said that the offer seemed
liberal; "but, Mr. Chase," said he, "before I shall make up my mind on
this subject, will you allow me to ask you one question?" "Certainly,"
replied the Secretary. "I merely wanted to understand," said Uncle Abe,
"at which end of the bird you propose to pay?"
"'Et tu Brute?'" responded the head of the Treasury department. "If I am
thus to be made the subject of ridicule, I must renew my application to
be relieved from my duties as Secretary."
"O, never mind! never mind! Mr. Secretary," said Uncle Abe, "we can
soon remedy all these difficulties. All we have to do, after we have
suppressed this rebellion, is to turn the bird end for end, and let
the gold and 'greenbacks' remain just as they are and all will come
out right." The Secretary, restored to good humor, agreed not to resign
unless Seward did.
"That reminds me of a little story."
"My Mary Ann."
Many months ago the post commander at Cairo was a certain West Point
colonel of a Northwestern regiment, noted for his soldierly qualities
and rigid discipline. One day he passed by the barracks and heard a
group of soldiers singing the well-known street piece, "My Mary Ann."
An angry shade crossed his brow, and he forthwith ordered the men to
be placed in the guard-house, where they remained all night The next
morning he visited them, when one ventured to ask the cause of their
confinement.
"Cause enough," said the rigid colonel; "you were singing a song in
derision of Mrs. Colonel B------."
The men replied by roars of laughter, and it was some time before the
choler of the Colonel could be sufficiently subdued to understand that
the song was an old one, and sung by half the school-boys in the land,
or the risibles of the men be calmed down to learn that the colonel's
wife rejoiced in the name of "Mary Ann."
Uncle Abe made the Colonel a Brigadier the moment he heard this story.
Uncle Abe's Honor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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