his remarks, telling one of his humorous anecdotes and making a personal application to his opponent which placed the latter in such a ridiculous attitude that it convulsed the whole House.  All business was suspended.  In vain the Speaker rapped with his gavel.  Members of all parties, without distinction, were compelled to laugh.  They not only laughed, they screamed and yelled; they thumped upon the floor with their canes; they clapped their hands and threw up their hats; they shouted and twisted themselves into all sorts of contortions, until their sides ached and the tears rolled down their cheeks.  One paroxysm passed away, but was speedily succeeded by another, and again they laughed and screamed and yelled.  Another lull occurred, and still another paroxysm, until they seemed to be perfectly exhausted.  The ambition of Lincoln’s opponent was abundantly gratified, and for the remainder of the session he lapsed into profound obscurity.”

In June, 1842, ex-President Van Buren was journeying through Illinois with a company of friends.  When near Springfield they were delayed by bad roads, and were compelled to spend the night at Rochester, some miles out.  The accommodations at this place were very poor, and a few of the ex-President’s Springfield friends proposed to go out to meet him and try to aid in entertaining him.  Knowing Lincoln’s ability as a talker and story-teller, they begged him to go with them and aid in making their guest at the country inn pass the evening as pleasantly as possible.  Lincoln, with his usual good nature, went with them, and entertained the party for hours with graphic descriptions of Western life, anecdotes and witty stories.  Judge Peck, who was of the party, and a warm friend of the ex-President, says that Lincoln was at his best.  There was a constant succession of brilliant anecdotes and funny stories, accompanied by loud laughter in which Van Buren took his full share.  “He also,” says the Judge, “gave us incidents and anecdotes of Elisha Williams, and other leading members of the New York bar, going back to the days of Hamilton and Burr.  Altogether there was a right merry time.  Mr. Van Buren said the only drawback upon his enjoyment was that his sides were sore from laughing at Lincoln’s stories for a week thereafter.”

Lincoln’s eight years of legislative service had given him considerable reputation in politics, and he had become the acknowledged leader of the Whig party in Illinois.  In the exciting Presidential campaign of 1840, known as the “Log Cabin” campaign, he took a very active part.  He had been nominated as Presidential Elector on the Harrison ticket, and stumped a large portion of the State.  A peculiarly interesting reminiscence of Lincoln’s appearance on one occasion during the “Log Cabin” campaign is furnished by Mr. G.W.  Harris, who says:  “In the fall of the year 1840 there came into the log school-house in a village in Southern Illinois where I, a lad, was a pupil, a tall, awkward,