To Forgive
Part VI
What has happened thus far
Dan returns home, after running away, to find his parents grieving because
his brother Will was found sleeping on duty and is to be executed the next
day . If he can find his new friend, the President of the United States, Dan
knows that the President will help him and he excitedly proposes that they
find him.
Realizing that unless something was done quickly, Will, his beloved brother,
would be killed, Dan remembered his friend, Abraham Lincoln. Turning to his
father, he said shrilly, "You pray, father I will run—"
"Run Where?" Asked his mother.
"To the White house, Mother. He said,' anytime I can do anything for
you, just drop in,"
"Who?" cried his parents.
"Why the President, Mr Lincoln!"
"But the President is busy dear,"
"He'll see me, I know he will!" said Dan. "Look we have a secret
together; the President and I have a secret together." The boy showed
his card and poured out his story.
The mother saw a break in her gray heaven, saw the bright blue hope. "We
must go at once," she said. "Father, you cannot come with us; pray
here for us."
"Please take my wagon and my horse," said the officer.
"Yes," said Dan, let's hurry. Oh! I am so glad," and the joy
shone in his face as he helped his mother into the vehicle.
"May God help you said the officer.
"Oh, He does," murmured the boy.
It was high noon when the doorkeeper of the White house, hardened into a very
stony guard by the daily onset of Lincoln seekers, saw an impetuous youth
leap from his carriage and help a woman up the portico steps toward him.
"In which room is the President?" asked Dan. "He is very busy,"
said the doorkeeper, probably for the five hundredth time that day. "Have
you an appointment?"
"No, but he said I could drop in anytime I wanted to, and , furthermore,
here is my latchkey." and trembling with haste, Dan showed him the card,
Mr. Lincoln had written.
"In that case you had better step into the waiting room over there,"
the man said dryly after looking quizzically at the card.
There must have been forty or fifty people crowded into the anteroom, each
on some urgent errand. Some were in uniform: all looked tired, impatient,
important. Dan saw the situation, and knew that Lincoln could never see them
all. He whispered to his mother and showed her to a chair, then went up to
the door boy and asked if the president was in the next room.
The boy admitted the fact, but would not admit anything further, including
Dan. The annoyed looks on the faces of the waiting people deepened.
"Does this urchin," said their looks, "expect to see the President
today?"
Dan not caring for etiquette when his brother might be shot any moment, slipped
under the arm of the door boy and bolted into the room.