Meanderer
Senior Member
Nancy, here's a "horse-trading" story by Lincoln:
"At the end of the 1837 legislature, Lincoln decided to move to Springfield and practice law. He was offered a partnership by his old friend John T Stuart.
On one occasion, when it turned out his client had indulged in fraudulent practices, Lincoln walked out of the courtroom and refused to continue with the case. The judge sent a messenger directing him to return, but he refused.
" Tell the judge," he told the messenger, " that my hands are dirty and I've gone to wash them."
In spite of behavior like this, he got along well with the circuit judges. With one of them he got into a discussion about horse trading, and the discussion ended with an agreement that Lincoln and the judge would trade horses at 9 am the next morning. Both horses were to be unseen until the moment of the trade.
Promptly at nine the judge appeared, leading the sorriest specimen of a horse ever seen in those parts. In a few moments Lincoln appeared, carrying a wooden sawhorse over his shoulder. He set down the sawhorse and inspected the judge's animal.
" Well Judge," he said, " that's the first time I ever got the worst of it in a horse trade."
"At the end of the 1837 legislature, Lincoln decided to move to Springfield and practice law. He was offered a partnership by his old friend John T Stuart.
On one occasion, when it turned out his client had indulged in fraudulent practices, Lincoln walked out of the courtroom and refused to continue with the case. The judge sent a messenger directing him to return, but he refused.
" Tell the judge," he told the messenger, " that my hands are dirty and I've gone to wash them."
In spite of behavior like this, he got along well with the circuit judges. With one of them he got into a discussion about horse trading, and the discussion ended with an agreement that Lincoln and the judge would trade horses at 9 am the next morning. Both horses were to be unseen until the moment of the trade.
Promptly at nine the judge appeared, leading the sorriest specimen of a horse ever seen in those parts. In a few moments Lincoln appeared, carrying a wooden sawhorse over his shoulder. He set down the sawhorse and inspected the judge's animal.
" Well Judge," he said, " that's the first time I ever got the worst of it in a horse trade."
Don't know how they did that. Can't get past Pinterest.
