"Mr. Lincoln stopped there," said the office-seeker.
"'Why did he call it a mistake?" we asked him. 'Didn't the donkey do his duty?'
"'Yes,' said the President, 'but after that every donkey in the country wanted an office.'"
ENCOURAGE LONGING FOR WORK.
In 1861, the badgered President had so novel an application that he wrote the annexed note to facilitate its harvest:
"To Major Ramsey: The lady--bearer of this--says she has two sons who want to work. Set them at it, if possible. Wanting to work is so rare a merit that it should be encouraged."
"BUT AARON GOT HIS COMMISSION!"
To animadversion on the President appointing to a post one who had zealously opposed his reelection, he replied:
"Well, I allow that Judge E----, having been disappointed before, did behave pretty 'ugly,' but that would not make him any less fit for the place; and I think I have scriptural authority for appointing him. You remember when the Lord was on Mount Sinai getting out a commission for Aaron, said Aaron was at the foot of the mountain, making a false god for the people to worship? Yet Aaron got his commission, you know."