He burst into tears and at once gave me the key."

This little incident shows the affectionate side of tyrant Tad who
could always be led, but never driven, and it was to his father's
gentle diplomacy that the fiery, impulsive little fellow always
responded.

Often Tad would perch on his father's knee, or even on his shoulder,
while weighty conferences were going on, and sometimes would insist on
spending a whole evening in the executive mansion, finally falling
asleep on the floor, when the President would tenderly pick him up and
carry him off to bed.

At other times, with affairs of the gravest importance awaiting his
consideration, President Lincoln would sit with his arms around the
boy, telling him anecdotes and stories of which he had an endless fund,
until the boy's drowsy eyes closed, when President Lincoln would gently
carry him to his room, and then go back to ponder on weighty matters of
national importance far into the night, but never retiring for the
night without a last look at the little fellow who was the supreme joy
and comfort of his life.

He was very fond of animals, and for a long while goats were his
special favourites, during which time a large and flourishing family of
them decorated the lawns and roads about the White House, and that the
goats were very important members of the family is shown by the fact
that at a time when Mrs. Lincoln and Tad had gone away for a week and
the family were living at the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln wrote to his
wife: "Tell dear Tad that poor Nanny Goat is lost and we are in
distress about it. The day you left, Nanny was found resting herself
and chewing her little cud on the middle of Tad's bed, but now she's
gone! The gardener kept complaining that she spoilt the flowers, till
it was decided to bring her down to the White House, which was done,
but on the second day she disappeared and has not been heard of since."

Tad was evidently consoled for this tragic event by not one goat, but a
whole family of them, for about a year later Mr. Lincoln ended a
business telegram to his wife in New York with the words: "Tell Tad the
goats and father are very well," and with a gleam of that humour for
which he was famous, the great-hearted, patient man added, "especially
the goats!"

[Illustration: _Tyrant Tad and Abraham Lincoln_]

Again a friend of the Lincolns' sent them a fine live turkey to be used
for the President's Christmas dinner, but long before that time t