Good Stories

Waipukurau Press, Volume I, 1 June 1906, Page 3

Good Stories

.'Some excellent stories are told in the “ Century ” by Mr Joseph Bishop, who was a coheague or Col. John Hay when the late Secretary of State was on the staff of the New York “ Tribune.” There is, for example, an anecdoie winch Colonel Hay used to tell, giving a very graphic picture of an incident in Lincoln's lite. " 1 was sitting with Lincoln on one occasion,” said Colonel Hay, “ when a man who had been calling on him almost daily for weeks in pursuit of an office, was shown in. He made his usual request, when Lincoln said: ‘lt is of no use, my friend. You had better go home. I am not going to give you that place.’ At this the man became enraged, and in a very insolent tone exclaimed, ‘ Then, as I understand it, Mr President, you refuse to do me justice.’ At this, Lincoln’s patience, which was as near the infinite as any that I have ever known, gave way. He looked at the man steadily for a half-minute or more, then slowly began to lift his long figure from its slouching position in the chair. He rose without haste, went over to where the man was sitting, took him by the coat-collar, carried him bodily to the door, threw him in a heap outside, closed the door, and returned to his chair. The man picked himself up, opened the door, and cried, ‘ I want my papers! ’ Lincoln took a package of papers from the table, went to the door and threw them out, again closed it, and returned to his chair. He said not a word, then or afterwards, about the incident.” Another anecdote concerns a semi-public passage in Colonel Hay’s own official life. A very officious, selflaudatory individual, of a type we all know, used always to be boasting of his influence with the Government, his important, secret personal missions on State affairs, and so forth.. Returning from Europe once, Jones, if that may pass for his name, went about Washington saying he had been to England on a secret mission of great moment for the President and Secretary of State. In an unlucky hour he said this in the hearing of a newspaper correspondent, who published it, and, of course, Jones’s position became very embarrassing. He was equal to the occasion, and called upon Mr Hay, expressing regret if any thing he had said had embarrassed the Secretary of State in his negotiations with Britain. He had done nothing, be said, for which ho should blush. “Mr Jones,” returned the statesman gravely, “ I can assure you, -without the slightest reservation, that nothing that you have done has in any manner embarrassed me in my negotiations with Great Britain, and I can you, also without reservation, that I am quite sure you have done nothing for whicn you could blush.” 'Mr Hay thought this quite the best thing he had ever said on the spur of the moment. But it was lost on Jones, who straightway went and informed his friends that, he had had a most satisfactory interview with the Secretary of State.