Daily Story
DEATH
Once the President alluded to this terrible dream with some show of playful humor. ‘Hill,’ said he, ‘your apprehension of harm to me from some hidden enemy is downright foolishness. For a long time you have been trying to keep somebody–the Lord knows who–from killing me. Don’t you see how it will turn out? In this dream it was not me, but some other fellow, that was killed. It seems that this ghostly assassin tired his hand on some one else. And this reminds me of an old farmer in Illinois whose family were made sick by eating greens. Some poisonous herb had got into the mess, and members of the family were in danger of dying. There was a half-witted boy in the family called Jake; and always afterward when they had greens the old man would say, ‘Now, afore we risk these greens, let’s try ’em on Jake. If he stands ’em, we’re all right.’ Just so with me. As long as this imaginary assassin continues to exercise himself on others I can stand it.’ He then became serious and said: ‘Well, let it go. I think the Lord in His own good time and way will work this out all right. God knows what it best.’
Ward Hill Lamon, Recollections of Abraham Lincoln, p. 117-118.