We do not know what joke Uncle Abe made when he heard the news of the
surrender of Plymouth. In regard to the Fort Pillow affair he made
a Bunsby speech, but no joke. His last joke, of which we have any
knowledge, occurred when Secretary Chase was starting on his trip to
New York. Uncle Abe is like Cromwell without his military genius, and is
very fond of playing practical jokes on his associates. It is said that
after Cromwell had signed the warrant for the execution of King Charles
he turned round to one of his colleagues and smeared his face with the
ink. This he thought capital fun. Uncle Abe's jokes are of about the
same quality. When Chase called upon him to say good bye, the Secretary
of the Treasury asked for some information about the probable end of
the war, saying it would help him greatly in getting more money in Wall
street. "Do you want more money?" asked Lincoln, and then quickly added,
"What! has the printing machine gin out?" This joke is fully equal to
Cromwell's.