was then familiarly called, and as a member-elect
of the Thirty-seventh Congress I desired to form some acquaintance with
the man who was to play so conspicuous a part in the impending national
crisis. On meeting him I found him far better looking than the campaign
pictures had represented him. His face, when lighted up in conversation,
was not unhandsome, and the kindly and winning tones of his voice
pleaded for him like the smile that played about his rugged features.
He was full of anecdote and humor, and readily found his way to the
hearts of those who enjoyed a welcome to his fireside. His face,
however, was sometimes marked by that touching expression of sadness
which became so noticeable in the years following. On the subject of
slavery I was gratified to find him less reserved and more emphatic than
I had expected. I was much pleased with our first Republican Executive,
and I returned home more fully inspired than ever with the purpose to
sustain him to the utmost in facing the duties of his great office."

The wide range of these callers and their diverse errands are
illustrated by examples furnished by Mr. Lamon. Two tall, ungainly
fellows,--"Suckers," as they were called,--entered Lincoln's room one
day while he was engaged in conversation with a friend. They lingered
bashfully near the door, and Lincoln, noticing their embarrassment, rose
and said good-naturedly, "How do you do, my good fellows? What can I do
for you? Will you sit down?" The spokesman of the pair, the shorter of
the two, declined to sit, and explained the object of the call. He had
had a talk about the relative height of Lincoln and his companion, and
had asserted his belief that they were of exactly the same height. He
had come in to verify his judgment. Lincoln smiled, then got his cane,
and placing the end of it upon the wall said, "Here, young man, come
under here!" The young man came under the cane, as Lincoln held it, and
when it was perfectly adjusted to his height Lincoln said, "Now come out
and hold up the cane." This he did, while Lincoln stepped under. Rubbing
his head back and forth to see that it worked easily under the
measurement, he stepped out, and declared that the young man had guessed
with remarkable accuracy--that he and the tall fellow were exactly of
the same height. Then he shook hands with them and sent them on their
way. The next caller was a very different person--an old and modestly
dressed woman who tried to expl