oor; after
awhile he stopped, heaved a long breath and said: 'This thing frightens
me!' He then rang for a messenger and told him to ask the Secretary of
the Treasury to please come over to see him.

"Mr. Chase soon put in an appearance; President Lincoln stated the cause
of his alarm, and asked Mr. Chase to explain in detail the operations,
methods, system of checks, etc., in his office, and a lengthy discussion
followed, President Lincoln contending there were not sufficient
safeguards afforded in any degree in the money-making department, and
Secretary Chase insisting that every protection was afforded he could
devise."

Afterward the President called the attention of Congress to this
important question, and devices were adopted whereby a check was put
upon the issue of greenbacks that no spurious ones ever came out of the
Treasury Department, at least. Counterfeiters were busy, though, but
this was not the fault of the Treasury.

LINCOLN'S APOLOGY TO GRANT.

"General Grant is a copious worker and fighter," President Lincoln wrote
to General Burnside in July, 1863, "but a meagre writer or telegrapher."

Grant never wrote a report until the battle was over.

President Lincoln wrote a letter to General Grant on July 13th, 1863,
which indicated the strength of the hold the successful fighter had upon
the man in the White House.

It ran as follows:

"I do not remember that you and I ever met personally.

"I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost
inestimable service you have done the country.

"I write to say a word further.

"When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you should
do what you finally did--march the troops across the neck, run the
batteries with the transports, and thus go below; and I never had any
faith, except a general hope, that you knew better than I, that the
Yazoo Pass expedition, and the like, could succeed.

"When you got below and took Port Gibson, Grand Gulf and vicinity, I
thought you should go down the river and join General Banks; and when
you turned northward, east of Big Black, I feared it was a mistake.

"I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right and
I was wrong."

LINCOLN SAID "BY JING."

Lincoln never used profanity, except when he quoted it to illustrate a
point in a story. His favorite expressions when he spoke with emphasis
were "By dear!" and "By jing!"

Just preceding the Civil War h