anecdote or a story that cleared the air and ended the discussion
in a general laugh. Sometimes for exercise he would go into a
bowling-alley close by, entering into the game with great zest,
and accepting defeat and victory with equal good-nature. By the
time he had finished a little circle would be gathered around
him, enjoying his enjoyment, and laughing at his quaint
expressions and sallies of wit.

His gift for jest and story-telling has become traditional.
Indeed, almost every good story that has been invented within a
hundred years has been laid at his door. As a matter of fact,
though he was fond of telling "them, and told them well, he told
comparatively few of the number that have been credited to him.
He had a wonderful memory, and a fine power of making his hearers
see the scene he wished to depict; but the final charm of his
stories lay in their aptness, and in the kindly humor that left
no sting behind it.

During his term in Congress the Presidential campaign of 1848
came on. Lincoln took an active part in the nomination and
election of General Zachary Taylor--"Old Rough and Ready," as he
was called--making speeches in Maryland and Massachusetts, as
well as in his own home district of Illinois. Two letters that he
wrote during this campaign have special interest for young
readers, for they show the sympathetic encouragement he gave to
young men anxious to make a place and a name for themselves in
American politics.

"Now as to the young men, he wrote. "You must not wait to be
brought forward by the older men. For instance, do you suppose