Bill he gave a sniff, an' his eyes grew more natural like; he gathered together all the strength he had, an' he raised himself up on one elbow an' sniffed again. "Sary,' says he, 'wot's that a-cookin'?' "Beans,' says she; 'beans for dinner.' 'Sary,' says the dyin' man, 'I must hev a plate uv them beans !' "Sakes alive, Mr. Holbrook!' says she; 'if you wuz to eat any o' them beans it'd kill ye!' "If I've got to die,' says he, 'I'm goin' to die happy; fetch me a plate uv them beans.' "Waal, Sary she pikes off to the doctor's. "Look a-here,' says she; 'Mr. Holbrook smelt the beans cookin' an' he says he's got to have some. Now, what shall I do about it?' "Waal, Doctor,' says Dock Smith, 'what do you think 'bout it?' "He's got to die anyhow,' says Dock Brainerd, ‘an' I don't suppose the beans 'll make any diff'rence.' "That's the way I figger it,' says Dock Smith; 'in all my practice I never knew of beans hurtin' anybody.' "So Sary went down to the kitchen an' brought up a plateful of hot baked beans. Dock Smith raised Bill up in bed, an' Dock Brainerd put a piller under the small of Bill's back. Then Sary sat down by the bed an' fed them beans into Bill until Bill couldn't hold any more. "How air you feelin' now?' asked Dock Smith. "Bill didn't say nuthin; he jest smiled sort uv peacefullike and closed his eyes. "The end hez come,' said Dock Brainerd sof❜ly; 'Bill is dyin'.' "Then Bill murmured kind o' far-away like; 'I ain't dyin'; I'm dead an' in heaven.' "Next mornin' Bill got out uv bed an' done a big day's work on the farm, an' he ain't hed a sick spell since. Them beans cured him!" SECRETARY CHASE'S CHIN-FLY From "Speeches and Addresses of Abraham Lincoln," Current Literature Publishing Company, New York, publishers BY F. B. CARPENTER "Within a month after Mr. Lincoln's first accession to office," says the Hon. Mr. Raymond, "when the South was threatening civil war, and armies of office seekers were besieging him in the Executive Mansion, he said to a friend that he wished he could get time to attend to the Southern question; he thought he knew what was wanted, and believed he could do something towards quieting the rising discontent; but the office seekers demanded all his time. 'I am,' said he, 'like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.' Two or three years later when the people had made him a candidate for reëlection, the same friend spoke to him of a member of his Cabinet who was a candidate also. Mr. Lincoln said that he did not concern himself much about that. It was important to the country that the department over which his rival presided should be administered with vigor and energy, and whatever would stimulate the Secretary to such action would do good. 'R,' said he, 'you were brought up on a farm, were you not? Then you know what a chin-fly is. My brother and I,' he added,' were once plowing corn on a Kentucky farm, I driving the horse, and he holding the plow. The horse was lazy; but on one occasion rushed across the field so that I, with my long legs, could scarcely keep pace with him. On reaching the end of the furrow, I found an enormous chin-fly fastened upon him, and knocked him off. My brother asked me what I did that for. I told him I didn't want the old horse bitten in that way. "Why," said my brother, "that's all that made him go!" Now,' said Mr. Lincoln, ‘if Mr. has a presidential chin-fly biting him, I'm not going to knock him off if it will only make his department go.' |