Mr. Wickizer gives a story which illustrates the off-hand readiness of Lincoln’s wit.  “In the court at Bloomington Mr. Lincoln was engaged in a case of no great importance; but the attorney on the other side, Mr. S., a young lawyer of fine abilities, was always very sensitive about being beaten, and in this case he manifested unusual zeal and interest.  The case lasted until late at night, when it was finally submitted to the jury.  Mr. S. spent a sleepless night in anxiety, and early next morning learned, to his great chagrin, that he had lost the case.  Mr. Lincoln met him at the court-house and asked him what had become of his case.  With lugubrious countenance and melancholy tone, Mr. S. said, ’It’s gone to hell!’ ‘Oh, well!’ replied Lincoln, ’Never mind,—­you can try it again there!’”

Lincoln was always ready to join in a laugh at his own expense, and used to tell the following story with intense enjoyment:  “In the days when I used to be ‘on the circuit’ I was accosted in the cars by a stranger who said, ’Excuse me, sir, but I have an article in my possession which belongs to you.’  ‘How is that?’ I asked, considerably astonished.  The stranger took a jack-knife from his pocket.  ‘This knife,’ said he, ’was placed in my hands some years ago with the injunction that I was to keep it until I found a man uglier than myself.  I have carried it from that time to this.  Allow me to say, sir, that I think you are fairly entitled to the property.’”

Mr. Gillespie says of Lincoln’s passion for story-telling:  “As a boon companion, Lincoln, although he never drank liquor or used tobacco in any form, was without a rival.  No one would ever think of ‘putting in’ when he was talking.  He could illustrate any subject, it seemed to me, with an appropriate and amusing anecdote.  He did not tell stories merely for the sake of telling them, but rather by way of illustration of something that had happened or been said.  There seemed to be no end to his fund of stories.”  Mr. Lamon states:  “Lincoln frequently said that he lived by his humor and would have died without it.  His manner of telling a story was irresistibly comical, the fun of it dancing in his eyes and playing over every feature.  His face changed in an instant; the hard lines faded out of it, and the mirth seemed to diffuse itself all over him like a spontaneous tickle.  You could see it coming long before he opened his mouth, and he began to enjoy the ‘point’ before his eager auditors could catch the faintest glimpse of it.  Telling and hearing ridiculous stories was one of his ruling passions.”  A good illustration of this fondness for story-telling is given by Judge Sibley, of Quincy, Illinois, who knew Lincoln when practicing law at Springfield.  One day a party of lawyers were sitting in the law library of the court-house at Springfield, awaiting the opening of court, and telling stories to fill the time.  Judge Breese of the Supreme bench—­one of the most distinguished of American jurists, and