''Abe'' Lincoln's Yarns and Stories - University of Macau Library

Yarns and Stories, by Alexander K. McClure 307candidate for the Illinois Legislature, he made a personal canvass of thedistrict. While "swinging around the circle" he stopped one day and tookdinner with a farmer in Sangamon county.Years afterward, when Mr. Lincoln had become President, a soldier cameto call on him at the White House. At the first glance the Chief Executivesaid: "Yes, I remember; you used to live on the Danville road. I took dinnerwith you when I was running for the Legislature. I recollect that we stoodtalking out at the barnyard gate while I sharpened my jackknife.""Y-a-a-s," drawled the soldier, "you did. But say, wherever did you put thatwhetstone? I looked for it a dozen times, but I never could find it after theday you used it. We allowed as how mabby you took it 'long with you.""No," said Lincoln, looking serious and pushing away a lot of documents ofstate from the desk in front of him. "No, I put it on top of that gatepost--thathigh one.""Well!" exclaimed the visitor, "mabby you did. Couldn't anybody else haveput it there, and none of us ever thought of looking there for it."The soldier was then on his way home, and when he got there the first thinghe did was to look for the whetstone. And sure enough, there it was, justwhere Lincoln had laid it fifteen years before. The honest fellow wrote aletter to the Chief Magistrate, telling him that the whetstone had beenfound, and would never be lost again.SETTLED OUT OF COURT.When Abe Lincoln used to be drifting around the country, practicing law inFulton and Menard counties, Illinois, an old fellow met him going toLewiston, riding a horse which, while it was a serviceable enough animal,was not of the kind to be truthfully called a fine saddler. It was aweatherbeaten nag, patient and plodding, and it toiled along with Abe--andAbe's books, tucked away in saddle-bags, lay heavy on the horse's flank.