"'Well, madam, I expect we shall have another fight soon; and my opinion is, God wants that church for poor wounded Union soldiers as much as he does for secesh people to worship in.' Turning to his table he said, quite abruptly: 'You will excuse me; I can do nothing for you. Good day, madam.'"
A DOUBTFUL ABUTMENT.
In Abbott's "History of the Civil War," the following story is told as one of Lincoln's "hardest hits:"
"I once knew," said Lincoln, "a sound churchman by the name of Brown, who was a member of a very sober and pious committee having in charge the erection of a bridge over a dangerous and rapid river. Several architects failed, and at last Brown said he had a friend named Jones, who had built several bridges and undoubtedly could build that one. So Mr. Jones was called in.
"'Can you build this bridge?' inquired the committee.
"'Yes,' replied Jones, 'or any other. I could build a bridge to the infernal regions if necessary!'
"The committee was shocked, and Brown felt called upon to defend his friend. 'I know Jones so well,' said he, 'and he is so honest a man and so good an architect, that if he states soberly and positively that he can build a bridge to—to—why, I believe it; but I feel bound to say that I have my doubts about the abutment on the infernal side.'
"So," said Mr. Lincoln, "when politicians told me that the northern and southern wings of the Democracy could be harmonized, why, I believed them, of course; but I always had my doubts about the 'abutment' on the other side."