Little incidents of appreciative consideration marked all of Lincoln’s way.
One afternoon in Chicago, while many noted visitors were gathered about him, a little boy entered the room, and, seeing Lincoln, took off his cap, whirled it over his head and shouted, “Hurrah for Lincoln!”
Mr. Lincoln gently made his way through the crowd, picked the little boy up in his arms, held him out at arm’s length, studied him a moment seriously, and then shouted, in like enthusiasm, as he set the boy down, “Hurrah for you!”
Honorable W. D. Kell tells an incident that occurred in asking Lincoln to do something for Willie Bladen.
This boy had served a year on the gunboat Ottawa and had gone through two important battles. Willie lived in the district of Congressman Kell and he asked Kell to help him get a place in the Naval School. The testimony of the gunners on the Ottawa was that Willie had carried powder to them in the midst of the hottest engagements with all the coolness and bravery of any of the sailors, and Congressman Kell’s sympathy was thoroughly enlisted for the boy’s ambition.
Lincoln was much interested in the case and at once wrote to the Secretary of the Navy to appoint Willie Bladen to the school, if there was yet a place for him.
The appointment was made and the boy was ordered to report in July. But Congressman Kell found, on going back home, that Willie would not be fourteen till September, and no one could be accepted in the Naval School under fourteen.
Willie was terribly distressed.
“Never mind,” said Mr. Kell, “I’ll take you to see the President about this and I am sure he will manage it some way.”