THE LINCOLN STORY BOOK

A Judicious Collection of the Best Stories
and Anecdotes of the Great President,
Many Appearing Here for the
First Time in Book Form


COMPILED BY

HENRY L. WILLIAMS




PREFACE.


The Abraham Lincoln Statue at Chicago is accepted as the typical
Westerner of the forum, the rostrum, and the tribune, as he stood
to be inaugurated under the war-cloud in 1861. But there is another
Lincoln as dear to the common people--the Lincoln of happy quotations,
the speaker of household words. Instead of the erect, impressive,
penetrative platform orator we see a long, gaunt figure, divided
between two chairs for comfort, the head bent forward, smiling
broadly, the lips curved in laughter, the deep eyes irradiating their
caves of wisdom; the story-telling Lincoln, enjoying the enjoyment he
gave to others.

This talkativeness, as Lincoln himself realized, was a very valuable