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Show MR. LINCOLN MEASURING BACKS. The writer, in the North American, of "The Diary of a Public Man," tells an incident which sets forth the humorous side of Mr. Lincoln's character, and the seriousness which marked Mr. Sumner. The writer had called on Mr. Lincoln to talk about the state of the country, just before his inauguration: <br><br> As I rose to go, Mr. Lincoln pulled himself together up out of the rocking-chair, into which he had packed himself, and scanning me good-naturedly for a moment, said, very abruptly, "You never put backs with Sumner, did you?" I suppose I looked as much surprised as I felt; but I laughed, and said that I did not think I ever had done so. "Well, I supposed not," he said, and then hesitating a moment, went on: "When he was in here, I asked him to measure with me, and do you know he made a little speech about it?" I tried to look civilly curious, and Mr. Lincoln, with an indescribable glimmer all over his face, continued: "Yes," he said, "he told me he thought this was a time for uniting our fronts and not our back before the enemies of the country, or something like that. It was very fine. But I reckon the truth was,"-and at this point I was compelled against my will to laugh aloud-"I reckon the truth was, he was-afraid to measure!" And with this, he looked down with some complacency on his own really indescribable length of limb. "He is a good piece of a man, though - Sumner," he added, half quizzically, half apologetically, "and a good man. I have never had much to do with bishops down where we live, but, do you know, Sumner is just my idea of a bishop." At that moment a door opened, and a lady came in, in not a very ceremonious way, I thought, dressed as if either just about to go into the street or having just come in. Mr. Lincoln presented me to her as his wife, and I exchanged a few words with her. |