His Secret Life, AS REVEALED UXDHH THE MESMERIC INFLUENCE. Mysteries of the White House. J. . PEEKS, PUP, LI SHE R, 2. Ko. 20 ANN STREET, N. Y. ^< - $fe(&fir& iff v, , - 5*tf3vM| *S The Lincoln Catechism, WHEKEIX THE Eccentricities and Beauties of Despotism Are fully set forth, being a complete Guide to the President! Election of 1864. Trice 15 Ceuts. Post Free. Abraham Africanus I. Mysteries of the White House, Diabolism Seward, Necromancer Lincoln in the Trance R< veals Ills Secret History. Price 15 Cents. Post Free. SONGS & BALLADS OF FREEDOM Inspired by the Incidents nn.l Scenes of this present War, bei UK; linest collection of S'on^s ever .published. Price 15 Gen Per dozen 1.50. Postage free. $10.00 PER 100, J. F. PEEKS, Publisher, 26 Ann St. N. ' His Secret Life, AS REVEALED L'NDEE THE MESMERIC INFLUENCE. Mysteries of the White House. J. F. FEEKS, PUBLISHER, No. 26 ANN STREET, N. Y. Frrssan arcm-.ling to Act of Con if wanted!' " Where W ! " ^ Cheeze oh nevAi- *> md) re P lied Abe > Wlth a knowing .. jOufc*. ., r ghabby greenbacks, Master air. "It's none of you TJ)< rye t friendg that Cheeze, but good SOLID Go^ have the chink, gentlemen." ^kedup their ears. At the word " gold " they all pn. ^ Bram broke Taking advantage of their attentio. forth : " Oil friends of my bosom, I *ve made up my mind And to miss re-election I don't feel inclined, ^ To yon a large fortune I'd gladly give o'er If you let me be in office just four or five yoars more. Gentlemen, I repeat my request. Don't leave'- me out in the draft. I had enough of that once." A " Let 's hear about it," said Sentor. AFRICANTJS L 35 " Promise to keep me in office, then. Do, my dear Stentor," said Bram with a cringing air, and trying to get on his knees and clasp Stentor's legs, " you know how much I 've done for you made you chief of the war department when you never knew anything of -war, given you million after million of profits on. contracts bigger spoils than Cameron ever earned or Morgan and Cummings ever dreamed of ; and you, Cheeze, I've given you every chance you must have made largely on all them revenue cutters, besides what* you laid by in gold contracts and stock operations." The humility of the creature was disgusting. He* dragged himself towards Soo and exclaimed in pity- * ing accents : " Soo, I've given you every chance, kept you in of- fice after your blundering allowed the Sumpter andi the Alabama to get out after you let Mason and Sli- dellescape after you gave up the mails of the Peter- hoff after you truckled to every power in Europe and permitted France to ignore the Monroe doctrine. I've let you lock up all your private enemies in Forts Lafayette, Delaware and Warren, and many of them in dungeons from whence they will never emerge. Surely, you can't be so ungrateful as to throw me, after all" that ?" The three conspirators began to dislike the turn affairs had taken. They soothed him, promised him everything, got him in his chair again, and started him on the Sub- ject of the Black Hawk War. i 36 ABRAHAM C h a p t e> VI. The modesty of a soldier forbids that I recount the valorous deeds performed by me during this cam- paign ; this I leave to Barret, whom I have rewarded with a fat office for his pains. On my way back to Illinois, and while separated on the road from my companions, I met and defeated, single handed, twenty of the natives, and left their dead bodies on the road. "WHAT!" cried Cheeze and Stentor, in stentorian chorus, " Twenty-five and single handed, too !" " On my honor," said Bram, with an air of modest merit. "Oh! oh!" " Gentlemen, allow me to explain," interposed Soo. *' I think I can give you the clue to this in a moment. Meanwhile, let us hear what became of Black Hawk." Bram thus reminded, continued his tale : "It-seems that TAYLOR came upon him at the bluffs of the Wisconsin, and after one of the most absurd battles ever fought, he defeated Black Hawk and took liim prisoner. For the sake of getting hold of this man and putting an end to the war, he absolutely .sacrificed several of his own." -"-How many of the enemy did he kill?" asked Stentor. " About sixty-eight. Only think of it. It makes one's blood run cold to think of it " " Remarkable instance of a sensitive nature," said Cheeze, in a bland tone, putting his fat white hand approvingly upon Brain's head and smiling at his confreres. " Now, Soo, let's hear the sequel of the AFRICANUS I. 37 twenty-five Datives killed by my friend, (you'll permit me to call you my friend, Bram ?) " Certainly, Cheezey, here it is. I shall read an extract from a Congressional speech of Mr. Lincoln, delivered during the canvass of 1848." " By the way, Mr. Speaker, did you know I am a military hero? [Derisive laughter from the galleries.] Yes, sir, in the days of the Black Hawk War, I fought bled, and came awaj 1 ". Speaking of General Cass's career, reminds me of my own. I was not at Still- man's defeat, but I was about as near it as Cass to Hall's surrender ; and like him, I saiv the place very soon aflenvards. It is quite certain I did not break my sword, for I had none to break ; but I often drew the long boio. If Cass broke his sword, the idea is, he broke it in desperation ; I drew my bow for amuse- ment. If General Cass went in advance of me in picking huclde-berries, I guess I surpassed him in charges upon the wild onions. If he saw any live fighting Indians, it was more than I did, but / had a, good many bloody struggles ivith the mosquitos, and on one occasion I remember to have killed tiventy-five of them single handed /" " This, gentlemen," said Soo, is a verbatim extract; from the Daily Globe ; and what is more it was in this momentous struggle the great Bram first realized that immortal saying "Nobody Hurt!" 38 ABBAHAM Chapter VII. PALMAM QUI MEEUIT FEKAT. Bram felt so indignant at the laughter raised by this sally of Soo, that he refused to answer any more questions. The Confederates petted and soothed him to no purpose. He was as obstinate as a mule. Soo then proposed, in order that the amusement should not flag, to continue Bram's biography from Barret's pages, and meanwhile Stentor should ply the sleeper well with 'forty rod,' until he got him in good humor again. This being agreed upon, and Bram well nourished with the ' star-spangled-striped- pig,' Soo opened the book, and commencing at page 47, read : " We now approach the period in the life of this exalted personage which he was destined by nature to attain we mean the career of a statesman. Still it must not be concealed that Mr. Lincoln's own preferences were in favor of a military life. The adventurous career he had just passed through in the desolating warfare with Black Hawk, and the heroic deeds which make his name illustrious in the annals of the State of Illinois, in connection with this now famous campaign, made him feel that Providence had not intended him to be a mere private in the great battle of life, but that he had certain qualities which could place him at the head of a column, or of a bri- gade, if he were so minded. He came home from the Black Hawk "War with the high and noble determination of wprJdng for his own AFBICASUS I. 39 living thereafter, provided he would get nobody else to do it for him. His tact at wire pulling, his acquaintance with the long shore men and other roughs of the place, and his faculty of sticking at nothing to gain power, ob- tained its legitimate reward, in his election to the State Legislature. He was so exhausted of funds after getting into the legislature that his surveying instruments were sold under the hammer. His appearance in the legislature was not very dig- nified it is true but he made up for that by the quickness he soon displayed of making money. He possessed the rare art of assuming an extra uncouth- ness or rusticity of manner and outward habit, for the purpose of securing particular favor with the masses He seldom or never spoke during the session, but found means to have himself appointed on the Com- mittee of Public Accounts and Expenditures, which he managed so well that nobody ever suspected him- On both subsequent occasions that he was elected to the Legislature he always managed to get himself on Committees that had the management of Money Affairs and in this respect showed obvious wisdom. He had thus (p. 63) honorably acquitted himself on the battle-field, in defending our border settlements against the ravages of the savage foe, and in the halls of the legislature had an eye to the main chance. His eloquence was so scathing and withering, that that which at first would appear plain and proba- ble, he made to look crooked as a serpent's path ; and that which was tortuous and involved, he straightened t out and made it plausible to the simplest minds. 40 ABRAHAM This talent stood him in so well, that when in 1860, the Presidential Convention met at Chicago and gave on first ballot, 173 votes for Seward, 50 for Cameron, 49 for Chase, 48 for Bates, 14 for Dayton, and 12 for McLean, he managed matters in such a way, that on ihe second, Cameron's name was not voted for, and on the third, he (Lincoln) got the nomination himself by 231 votes. It is said he rather got the best of both Seward and Chase." "Fool!" cried the Premier, throwing away the "book and touching his little bell, " I '11 teach the knave to write us simpletons, eh, Cheezey ?" "Fool," said Cheeze. An officer entered. "Search for a man named Barrett, who wrote a life of Lincoln and convey him under a strong guard to Fort Lafayette! No charge. Instruct Col. Burke not to obey writs of Habeas Corpus." " Excuse me, your honor," said the officer, " but if I'm not mistaken this same gentleman you refer to is one of the President's ministers now on foreign sta- tions." " What political services did he perform to deserve that post," demanded the lofty Soo. " He wrote that very book, your worship," replied the marshal. " Ah I see. You may go." The officer retired. The Confederates looked serious. This little inci- dent alone, convinced them they had no child to deal with. Bram was evidently up to snuff. And when they came to think for what a small mess of pottage they had bargained away their own nomi- APEICANUS L 41 nations, they -wondered how this flat boat-man of long shanks and little brains had managed to outwit them all. All three fell into a brown study. Chapter VIII. THE FRIEND. A long time elapsed before either of them spoke. It was a singular scene. Upon a chair reclining at his greatest length, his feet upon the hearth, his hands in his pockets, his head resting heavily on his chest, his hair dishevelled, his cravat awry, and a general air of smuttiness, and a general odor of liquor pervading him, sat Bram ; still dreaming, still snoozing, still in the mesmeric state, and yet so strong in his self con- centration, so fixed in his self estimation, as to be capable of being indifferent, in spite of his stupor, at the exposure his own words had made of his ridiculous boasts and his miserable inconstancy. There sat Soo, turning the keys over in his trousers pocket, thinking what a fool he had been to lift such a man into power, and at his own expense, and to his own great shame. There Stentor, too, weighed uneasily the poor chancos that remained of his longer holding office, and stretching his legs out under the table, put one hand to his waist-coat arm, and with the other fumbled at his watch guard. Cheeze lustily rattled a pocket full of specie (lie 42 ABEAHAM -was the only one that had any hard money about him, though the others didn't lack paper,) and passed the time with glancing uneasily at his three com- panions, probably distrustful of them all. Stentor was the first to break silence. " Soo," said he, " tell us a story to while away the time." " Don't ask me, Stentor, my boy, I've told so many different stories in my time, and none of them seemed to answer, that I despair of ever succeeding with another. Ask Cheezey to give you a song. He has a fine rich voice, sweet as a syren's. He sung so sweetly to the New York bankers two years ago, that they haven't got over it yet." Cheeze, thus called upon, begged to be excused said he was no singer only knew one song, and didn't like to sing that on account of its disunion tendencies and so on. " Pooh, pooh," said Soo aad Stentor in a breath, " we don't care anything about its disunion tendencies ) as you call it. You don't suppose we are such asses as to believe in the political nursery trash we preach> do you ?" " It 's a nursery song" said Cheeze. " Go ahead, then, my boy," said Soo. Stentor nodded an additional approval, and thus fortified, Cheeze cleared his bag-pipe and thus began AIE. A Song of Sixpence. Sing a song of Greenbacks, Pockets full of trash, Over head and ears in debt And out of ready cash ; Heaps of Tax Collectors, As busy as a bee ; Ain't we in a pretty fix With gold at sixty-three. AFRICANUS L 43 Bram in the White House, Proclamations writing ; Meade on the Bapidan Afraid to do the fighting, Seward in the cabinet Surrounded by his spies ; Halleck with the telegraph Busy forging lies, Cheeze in the treasury, Making worthless notes ; Curtin at Harrisburg, Making shoddy coats ; Dahlgren at Charleston, Lost in a fog ; Forney under Brain's chair Barking like a dog. Schenck down at Baltimore, Doing dirty work ; Butler at Norfolk, As savage as a Turk ; Sprague in Rhode Island, Eating apple sass ; j. Everett at Gettysburg, Talking like an Ass. Banks out in Texas, Trying to cut a figure ; Beecher in Brooklyn, Howling for the Nigger ; Lots of Abolitionists, Making such a yell, In comes Parson Brownlow, And sends them all to hell. Burnside at Knoxville, In a kind of fix ; Gilmore at Sumter, Pounding at the bricks ; f Grant at Chattanooga Trying Bragg to thrash : Is it any wonder The Union's gone to smash ? ABRAHAM " Bravo ! bravo !" encored the friends. " Cheezey, boy, you've a mellow voice and a fine vein of hu- mor." " You'd say, I had altogether too much humor if you knew, how cheaply I let that countryman there," pointing to Bram, " chouce me out of the nomination on last election," returned Cheeze, secretly flattered at the compliment, but chagrined at the reflections it suggested. At these words, Soo began to pick his teeth. Stentor commenced spitting tobacco juice at a key hole. " It seems to me as though that man had the DEVIL at his side," continued Cheeze. Soo here arose from his chair and advanced towards Cheeze. "Cheeze," said the Secretary, "I have the same belief myself and I have more than one reason for it." Stentor who had been crossing himself with pious vehemence now got up and turning to Cheeze, said : "And I, too, have heard strange stories about Bram's Friend." " And I," chimed in Cheeze. " Suppose we ex- change ideas and tell each other what we know about it." To this they all agreed, and resuming their old postures, they first wet their whistles, then satisfied themselves that Bram was still unconscious, and Soo, setting the example, began telling what he knew of Bram's Mysterious Friend and Patron. AFRICANUS I. 45 Chapter IX. DEVILISH STRANGE. " I have heard it related by a party that Mr. Lin- coln has seen fit to incarcerate in Fort Warren, that on a certain occasion when Bram was very hard up. and had to sell his furniture out there in Illinois, in order to keep the pot boiling, he wandered out into- the prairie, unconscious of where he was, so deeply was he engrossed with the difficulties that beset hint on all sides. He hadn't a friend in the world, and didn't know what to turn his hands to, to earn a liv- ing. Thus moodily engaged he came near to a spot where my informant was trapping prairie hens, and then he sat down and gave vent to his pent up miseries in these words : " Calkerlate I 'd better bust these parts and emi- grate right smart, or maybe I'll come to grief Mother's cove in and father's looking arter other critters ; flat-boatin is too all-fired fatiguing, rail- splitting is played out, 'cause Hanks throwed me, and singing nigger songs is gone to smash. I could dance right smart on a spring board ; but what's the use when you can't get nuthin' for it but a shock or two o' corn and a pull of forty rod. I 'd a heap sight rather go a canallin' if I could git aboard one of them craft ; but even them is no go. There ain't no canals in this section of the country. 'Taint no use specula- tin' on father's kickin' the bucket, so the only thing left is to dig a hole here in the prairie, and just expire right off." So saying, he proceeded to divest himself of Jus 46 ABRAHAM clotliing and boots. The latter he hung up on an old ridge pole that stood on the plain and affixed a pla- card to them. They were odd specimens of foot gear, being nearly eighteen inches long and proportionately wide ; the legs or uppers were so near the centre^ that it was difficult to determine which the wearer- had the most of, heel or toe, and the soles were en- tirely gone from long wear. The placard read thus : "These is from Abe Hanks, likewise named Abe Linkun, to the widder Hennepin, her son, likewise named Abe. The eels is fled, the shanks is rather gone up, the soul is gone the other way, but the uppers is good, and will make a pare of boots four him if he 's a good boy. Fairwel ! my biler is bust, and go I must. ABE HANKS. And now, said the intended suicide, making a pil- low of his clothes, and lying down on the earth in a posture of determined sleep, " I don't care what the devil becomes of me." He had no sooner said the word DEVIL, than up jumps a man as it were from the very earth itself, and advances very politely towards the recumbent Abe. In a few moments they became very intently engaged in conversation, but in such low tones that my in- formant could not catch a word. Curiosity getting the better of judgment, he crept cautiously towards them until he heard the stranger say : " On this condition, sign the bond and you shall not only get all you ask but I'll make you a member of the Legislature. " What !" cried Abe, " Have you any interest with the Legislature." AFttlCANUS I. 47 "I should think I had," returned the other "I'm personally acquainted with every man of them, and besides that, keep a boarding house doicn bdoiv for all the ex-members." " Suppose I stir up this all-fired nigger question, kinder cussed brisk, what'll you do in that case, old boy?" " Keep you in for two terms." " Could'nt you make it Washington instead of Van- dalia," insinuated Abe. "What !" cried the other. "Are you so ambitious as all that ? Why, man, you have n't ability enough to keep two listeners in their seats." " Never mind that " returned Abe. " Just you help me a little when I falter, and have the name of " Honest " well stuck to me, and I'll go through it easier than you imagine." " Well then, agreed," said tLe other, " and if any success attends the plan, and any certain indications of civil war appear, I will be willing perhaps to enter into a new contract with you. You know war contracts are very profitable" " What do you mean ?" enquired Abe, evidently not understanding his friend correctly. " I mean I'll give you the first contract under the war. YOU AGEEE TO BEING TO DEATH ONE MILLION OF HUMAH BEINGS ; and I'll agree to give you the Presidency. 'THE PRESIDENCY!' exclaimed Abe/rising from the earth in his agitation, and seeming to soar with his long limbs, as high as the ridge pole itself. His emotion was so extraordinary, that words failed to express it. The stranger pleased at this exhibition, extended his hand. Abe grasped it heartily, and 48 ABRAHAM pulling the other towards him, threw himself into his arms. They were the tallest pair my informant ever saw, and bore a striking resemblance to each other sufficient to be brothers. Fearful of discovery, he crept away at this juncture, and turning round at the distance of a couple of miles, beheld them still to- gether, standing hand in hand beside the ridge- pole." Chapter X. THE FIEND. The last words of Soo's tale died away into a sort of hoarse whisper, and were heard in dead silence ; as the supernatural subject of it fixed itself upon the minds of himself and his listeners. A long silence followed it. Soo whittled the arm of his chair, Stentor poked the fire, and Cheeze pulled out a little parchment scroll from his vest bosom and read it over privately ; glancing at the others now and then to see if they were watching him. "All right," he murmured, "it doesn't interfere with my contract. Every man for himself, say I." At this moment a knock was heard at the door. " Come in," said Stentor. The door flew open and a servant in livery, disclosed himself. " The President ?" he enquired blandly. *' Not here," returned Soo curtly. " Excuse me, my Lud I mean your Excellency 5 APKICANTJS L 49 but if I 'm not mistaken, the President is before me." " I tell you he's not here," persisted Soo. " And I tell you, you lie !" roared the flunkey, pushing past him and rousing the sleeping Brain from his chair. Soo became livid with rage. He ran to his little bell and hastily put his name to a blank order of arrest. An officer appeared at the door. "Here!" said he, "arrest that impudent rascal directly, and convey him to the vilest dungeon in America." "Where?" enquired the officer. "Park Barracks, New York." The officer advanced and collared his prisoner. " Come along with me," said he roughly. But Bram was now fully awake and seeing the danger his Cockney friend was in, quickly interposed his superior authority. " Let go !" he commanded. The officer relinquished his hold. " Famous /" said Bram. The provost marshal obsquatulated the ranche. "What's all this about, gentlemen;" said Bram furiously, " can't a friend of mine ask for me without running in danger of being arrested ?" " The Confederates hung their heads without daring' to say a word. Bram glared furiously upon them. " How long have I been to sleep," he demanded. " Nearly three hours," replied Cheeze. " Have I been blabbing to you saying anything I ought not to have said been indiscreet ? Eh ?" Rapid glances passed between the three. Bram 50 ABRAHAM cauglit one of these tell tales, and suspecting all was not right, changed his tone instanter. " Pardon me, Soo, my boy, I was only joking with you. Let 's make up. I'll give you permission to lock up the very next man that comes along. ~ :: ~ Chee- zej and Stentor, I'll make it all square with you when I come back. We'll make up a game of poker, and play one Southern plantation ante up. How do you like that ? eh ?" " Capital!" they exclaimed. They shook hands all around, and looked quite delighted; and in the' midst of all this happiness, Bram departed, arm-in-arm with his liveried friend. As the door closed upon him, the faces of the Con- federates lengthened. "Who is that flunkey?" asked Stentor, "that Brani should feel so soft about him and be so thick mthhim?" " Is it possible you don't know ?" replied Cheeze. Stentor shook his head. " Nor do I," jerked out the mortified Soo, " or I wouldn't have handled the fellow so roughly. Pray enlighten us." " He is the private and confidential servant of Doctor ," and here Cheeze whispered the name in his friends' ears. Soo looked serious. Stentor didn't comprehend it. " Who is doctor " he began, bluntly. " Hush !" said Cheeze. " Don't mention the nama for worlds. I'll tell you. Did you never hear of a certain Chiropodist in New York who possessed great This very net man happened to fee Dr.Ivegof the New York Herald, after; ward! of the ffttet. AFEICANUS I. 51 mastery over Brain's miiid who comld manage him any way he pleased who cut his corns went on se- cret missions was commissioned to New Orleans to watch Banks and afterwards to Norfolk to overlook Butler who possessed great influence with all the rich Jews in New York and undertook to get loans of money from them the H-n-d-r-cks, the J-s-phs, who used to represent the Rothschilds, the B-mh-m-rs, the E-nst-n-rs, and the N-th-ns? who got up the Bussian Ball, and who danced with Mrs. Bram, at the party last winter ? who doctors him, and writes his speeches ? who advises him and directs him in questions of state ? who " Hold !" cried Soo, " I thought I was the man who did all this !" " The devil you did !" cried Stentor, " I thought I was the man." " You're both wrong, gentlemen. / was the man till the doctor stepped in and took the wind out of my sails, for which I was not sorry, for I was getting tired of him at that time, and might have missed the opportunity, I soon after had, of forming an alliance with another party." Soo and Stentor bit their lips till the blood came, and then ran from the room howling, [French style.] Cheeze smiled complacently and sitting down to the table, penned the folknving telegram in secret cy- pher to New York : " Buy Bock Island at anything under 140 for a 'corner." Sell 2,000 Erie 'short' and bull the market on gold. Mum." 52 ABRAHAM; Chapter XI. A YEAR LATEK. THE END. How little do the humble know, What miseries greatness is heir to, What heart-aches, jealousies and cares, Beset their anxious hearts with fears, When high resolves have once elated, What pain to see them all frustrated. What hellish passions take their place, When failure brings with it disgrace ; How stoop their minds beneath the blow, To everything that's mean and low, What shifts they make, what agents use, What'er gives hope they madly choose. With naugh' t to risk, they spare no cost To gain position they have lost ; Debased themselves, they seek to find, A kindred baseness in mankind. And feeling self-condemned the while, Would think all others just as vile. 'Twas eve of one eventful day, * As story tellers always say, The President had far surpassed His greatest effort and his last ; And all the world went home in thought, On all the wondrous things he taught. The day had passed the crowd had gone, And all that had been said or done, Were records of the silent past. Say, will his fleeting triumph last? The fierce excitements of the day, Had chased the great man's griefs away ; But now, when all was calm again, . * Began the torments of his brain, And in his silent chamber, there The eye of the 1st or November, 1864. APKICANUS L 63 Awoke the vision of despair. No longer from his fishy eye, Shot cunning and shone energy ; But lone aucl silent, and subdued, He yielded to his sullen mood. Long time he sat, convulsed and -wrought, Till words gave utterance to his thought. " Oh ! what a wretched thing am I, The veriest fool of destiny ; How meanly have I sunk below The dignity of honest vroe. How have I lost that high estate I might have held among the great, And sunk beneath my own approval, Condemned myself to cringe and grovel ; I grasped at POWER ; fool, fool! the thought Now mocks the ruin it has wrought. Time was when even foes respected, But now how fallen and neglected ; The stake was POWER for which I cast, 'Twas but its shadow, and it passed ; My friends betrayed I fondly bowed, To woo the passions of the crowd ; But failing there, I sought again My former standing to regain. All will not answer, on my sight The future rises to affright, And in that future will I mark A path as devious and as dark!" ATE BrUKard! Poslerioso. Tha Devil took sick, The Devil a saint would be ; The Devil got well, The devil a saint was he ! "Ha!" cried listening Bram, Well hast thou timed to tempt me now,! 54 ABRAHAM And sure enough, polite and civil, There stood our laughing, friendly Devil, Who with his usual courtly grace, Smiled sweetly in the great man's face, And with his cloven foot before him, Bowed very low in all decorum. "Nay, there you wrong yourself ! not swerve you ; But doing all I can to serve you. " So sweet he smiled, and bowed so low, The great man thanked ; what could he do ? " Thanks! thanks !" great Bram replied, For Satan had aroused his pride, And in the presence of the devil, He wish'd t' appear at least as civiL "If I had doubted, let it pass, Henceforth I'll be no whimpering ass, But, faithful to myself and you, Be firm in what I think and do !" "Bravo!" cried Satan, " 'tis well said, And worthy of your heart and head ; But tell me if I don't offend Why can you ever doubt me, friend ?" " Why thus it is : I see too clearly Why friends are falling from me daily. The more I strive, the more they fail me, While foes on every side assail me. " "'Nonsense," quoth the fiend, " where's your pride? Great men like you, ar' n't cast aside ; With little power to do you evil, They'll court you yet, or I'm no DeviL" "Have I not striven night and day, To lead opinion my own way, And used the powers of wealth and station To gain the good will of the nation And to what end ? except to grieve mo ; The very knaves I fed, deceived me." AFRICANUS I. 55 "Patience!" cried Satan, " patience, kind Sir, Toor rery hurry makes you blind, Sir. Hkerc's your NIGGEK PKOCLAMATION, Thai bitter bolus for the nation, And your CONFISCATION BILL ? Think yon THAT inflicts no mischief still ? Think you that each demagogue forgets That novel way to pay war debts ? "When gazing on your empty coffers, He sees the prospects which it offers. Thinfr you he sees not hereabout, A Tery fine way to get out, And chuckles as he fondly eyes, Repudiation in disguise ?" " Zounds !" quoth the great man with a start, "I tell thee, Devil though thou art, This bantering tone 's all very fine, But one thing at least 's no plan of mine. Pm speaking of the Greenback Pshaw! I mean the repeal of the Homestead law." " All mighty well, " quoth Satan, grinning, How very coy you are, while sinning ; But I, who know your modest way, "Will not object to what you say, And all the less, most faultless brother, Since all the world now blames another, f But ne'er the less it works MT ends And cannot make us else than friends.", Bram, who though at first astonished, Smiled as Satan thus admonished ; Smiled as he saw his views displayed, In what the Devil shrewdly said Smiled as he saw himself unmasked, And thus of Satan, smiling, asked : w Weed, ia February 1804, la a letter toEx-Gov. Morgan of New To*, urposes to repeal the Homestead Law, aiiJ sell the public lauds to foreigner* 66 ABRAHAM "Who serves the Devil, Devil take him ; But -will the Devil E'er forsake him ? "No," cried the Old One of a sudden, " This jest of yours is not a bad 'un, You would by joke assume superior, Whereas, in fact, you are inferior. And being servant, aye, dorii stir, Sir I You must obey ; a slave you are Sir. A slave you are, and though much bigger, As much a slave as any nigger. A slave you are, because you'll cheat, And therefore, you are mine complete. A slave you are, and now believe me, You cannot, if you would, deceive me ; In afl that does relate to sin, I give the power, you but take in." "Nay, nay, Your Darkness, pause awhile, My joke was made to raise a smile ; But since it was misunderstood, I'll recommence in sober mood. " "'Tis useless," quoth the Devil, bowing, I feel 'tis time I should be going ; Give me thy hand ; for, Bram, thou art In thought and art my counterpart ; So like ; that if (could such things be, ) You had been kicked from heaven with me, "We snacks had gone yes, who can tell And kept a hotel down in hell I see you like the joke you laugh, But time is up. I must be off, Yet e'er a friendly leave I take, I've fancy for a hearty shake." AFiUCANUS I. 57 i Tfie great Brain seized the proffered hand, Bat had he grasped a lighted brand, His quivering nerves and changing look Had not such sudden torture spoke. He strove to free his hold but no, That scorching grasp would not let go. Thus, on the very day before election, The Devil claimed his great connection ; And hurling Bram to black damnation, At last relieved the Yankee Nation. THE END, THE WASHINGTON DESPOTISM DISSECTED, IK ARTICLES FROM TUB METROPOLITAN RECORD. CO1STTE3STXS. The United States Converted into a Military Despotism Can a Disunion Administration Restore the Union ? A Great Statesman Speaking to the People Grounds of Impeachment of the President The Effects of Abolitionism What is a Loyal Leaguer ? Grand Patriotic Demonstration Some Plain Talk " Nobody's Hart " Peace ! 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