At this apparition Miss P. Hen ate a Graham biscuit with great accerbity of bearing, and was about to go on with her Te Deum, when a fleshy Chicago chap lightly jumped upon the platform and pushed the venerable maiden aside. He said that no scheme of politics brought them together this time: but a humble, heartfelt wish to thank a benignant Heaven for the downfall of a mighty people's enemies. As for the chief of those enemies, the Rebel leaders, they must every one of them be hanged without mercy, or justice might as well be ignored forever. The present President was too—
At this moment the hum of an approaching multitude drowned all other sounds, and there advanced from the rear of Paris a great band of high-moral citizens, with a banner announcing
UNION NOMINATION
FOR
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
In1869.
OUR UNCLE ABE.[7 ]
Forward surged this new audience toward the platform, and both Miss P. Hen and the Chicago chap had recommenced their hymns of gratitude, when an athletic citizen from Baltimore made a dash for the front railing and eloquently addressed the meeting. He was proud to see such a glorious concourse assembled, for no wrangling party object, but solely to unite in thankfulness to a greater than all earthly powers for the blessing of returning peace. To make that peace permanent and solid,—
Here Miss P. Hen got to the front and brought down her umbrella with awful violence upon the bare head of the speaker, and says she: "I'm the Republican party myself!"
"I beg your pardon, miss," says the Baltimore citizen, hotly, "but I'mthe Republican party!"