Summary

Abraham Lincoln is troubled by the ongoing Civil War and the recent death of his son Willie from typhoid fever. He walks the grounds of the White House late at night and enters the stable. He pets Willie's pony Tinker and collapses into sobs. While lying on the floor, he hears his coachman Walter Brown enter, followed by a stable hand called Simmie and Simmie's young son. Lincoln hides and listens as Brown upbraids Simmie for not following his directions precisely, calling him the n-word and threatening to send him back to the slave master from whom he escaped. Brown leaves.

Simmie's son asks why Brown is so cruel and Simmie tells him not to worry about it. Simmie's son is also distraught about the recent death of Willie, who was his friend. Simmie tells the boy a story to lift...