"If General Wadsworth raises that point," replied the President, who had allowed this pathetic case to break his rule to deal with classes and not individual offenses, "tell him if he could take care of the exchange part, I guess I can take care of the rank part!"
It is clear that the President saw in this punctilio about a humane act, whose "offense was ranker."
It reminded one of the story of the New England skipper who, with his mate--and crew of a small fisher--owned the vessel. They having quarreled and the captain bidding the other mind his part of the ship, the latter did so, and presently came to the stern to report:
"Captain, I have anchored my part of the ship! Take care of your own."
ANGELS SWEARING MAKE NO DIFFERENCE.
On the President being urged to answer some virulent newspaper assault, his reply was:
"Oh, no; if I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business, I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so, until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything; if the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
WASHINGTON'S DIFFICULT TASK.
Shortly after Lincoln's inauguration, a senator said to him:
"You have as difficult a task as Washington's, when he took command of the American Army, and as little to do it with."