.
"Here's the article copied into The Sangamon Journal. Read it and then
I'll tell you why I don't think it's so."

Abe Lincoln read the article.

"You see it was dated in Tampa, November the fifth," said Samson. "Before
we had read that article we had received a letter from Harry dated
November the seventh. In the letter he says he is all right and I
calculate that he ought to know as much about it as any one."

"Thank God! Then it's a mistake," said Lincoln. "We can't afford to lose
Harry. I feel rather poor with Jack Kelso gone. It will comfort me to do
what I can for his wife and daughter. I'll give you every dollar I can
spare to take to them."

A moment of sorrowful silence followed.

"I'll never forget the kindly soul of Jack or his wit or his sayings,
many of which are in my notebook," said Lincoln as he sat looking sadly
into the fire.

They talked much of the great but humble man who had so loved honor and
beauty and whose life had ended in the unholy turmoil of the new city.

"The country is in great trouble," was a remark of Abe Lincoln inspired
by the reflections of the hour. "We tried to allay it in the special
session of July. Our efforts have done no good. The ail is too deep
seated. We must first minister to a mind diseased and pluck from the
heart a rooted sorrow. You were right about it, Samson. We have been
dreaming. Some one must invent a new system. Wildcat money will do no
good. These big financial problems are beyond my knowledge. I don't know
how to think in those terms. Next session I propose to make a clean
breast of it. We're all wrong but I fear that not all of us will be brave
enough to say so."

Samson hired horses for the journey and set out early next morning with
his son, Josiah, bound for the new city. The boy had begged to go and
both Samson and Sarah thought it would be good for him to take a better
look at Illinois than his geography afforded.

"Joe is a good boy," his mother said as she embraced him. He was, indeed,
a gentle-hearted, willing-handed, brown-eyed youth who had been a great
help to his father. Every winter morning he and Betsey had done the
chores and ridden on the back of Colonel to Mentor Graham's school where
they had made excellent progress.

Joe and his father set out on a cold clear morning in February. They got
to Brimstead's in time for dinner.

"How d'y do?" Samson shouted as Henry came to the door.

"Better!" the latter answered. He put his han