Soon after Mr. Lincoln's nomination for the Presidency, the Executive
Chamber, a large fine room in the State House at Springfield, was set
apart for him, where he met the public until after his election.
As illustrative of the nature of many of his calls, the following
brace of incidents were related to Mr. Holland by an eye witness: "Mr.
Lincoln, being seated in conversation with a gentleman one day, two
raw, plainly-dressed young 'Suckers' entered the room, and bashfully
lingered near the door. As soon as he observed them, and apprehended
their embarrassment, he rose and walked to them, saying, 'How do you
do, my good fellows? What can I do for you? Will you sit down?' The
spokesman of the pair, the shorter of the two, declined to sit, and
explained the object of the call thus: he had had a talk about the
relative height of Mr. Lincoln and his companion, and had asserted his
belief that they were of exactly the same height. He had come in to
verify his judgment. Mr. Lincoln smiled, went and got his cane, and,
placing the end of it upon the wall, said:
"'Here, young man, come under here.'
"The young man came under the cane, as Mr. Lincoln held it, and when
it was perfectly adjusted to his height, Mr. Lincoln said:
"'Now, come out, and hold up the cane.'
"This he did while Mr. Lincoln stepped under. Rubbing his head back
and forth to see that it worked easily under the measurement, he
stepped out, and declared to the sagacious fellow who was curiously
looking on, that he had guessed with remarkable accuracy--that he and
the young man were exactly the same height. Then he shook hands with
them and sent them on their way. Mr. Lincoln would just as soon have
thought of cutting off his right hand as he would have thought of
turning those boys away with the impression that they had in any way
insulted his dignity."