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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Boys' Life of Abraham Lincoln by Helen Nicolay: cabin, he was ruler of a great nation, and more than that, was a
prince by right of his own fine instincts and good breeding.
He was ever gentle and courteous, but with a few quiet words he
could silence a bore who had come meaning to talk to him for
hours. For his friends he had always a ready smile and a quaintly
turned phrase. His sense of humor was his salvation. Without it
he must have died of the strain and anxiety of the Civil War.
There was something almost pathetic in the way he would snatch a
moment from his pressing duties and gravest cares to listen to a
good story or indulge in a hearty laugh. Some people could not
understand this. To one member of his cabinet, at least, it
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