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LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN•79later, his associate, Ward Lamon, came to divide <strong>the</strong>ir fee oftwo hundred and fifty dollars. <strong>Lincoln</strong> rebuked him sternly.Lamon protested that <strong>the</strong> fee had been settled in advance, that<strong>the</strong> girl's bro<strong>the</strong>r was entirely satisfied to pay it."That may be," <strong>Lincoln</strong> retorted, "but I am not satisfied.That money comes out of <strong>the</strong> pocket of a poor, demented girl;and I would ra<strong>the</strong>r starve than swindle her in this manner. Youreturn half this money at least, or I'll not take a cent of it asmy share."In ano<strong>the</strong>r instance, a pension agent had charged <strong>the</strong> widowof a Revolutionary soldier half <strong>the</strong> four hundred dollars towhich her pension amounted, for getting her claim allowed. Theold woman was bent with age, and in poverty. <strong>Lincoln</strong> had hersue <strong>the</strong> pension agent, won <strong>the</strong> case for her, and charged hernothing. Besides, he paid her hotel bill and gave her money tobuy a ticket home.One day <strong>the</strong> Widow Armstrong came to <strong>Lincoln</strong> in greattrouble. Her son Duff was charged with having murdered aman in a drunken brawl, and she pleaded with Abe to comeand save <strong>the</strong> boy. <strong>Lincoln</strong> had known <strong>the</strong> Armstrongs back inNew Salem. In fact, he had rocked Duff to sleep when he wasa baby in <strong>the</strong> cradle. The Armstrongs had been a wild, roughlot; but <strong>Lincoln</strong> liked <strong>the</strong>m. Jack Armstrong, Duff's fa<strong>the</strong>r, hadbeen <strong>the</strong> leader of <strong>the</strong> Clary's Grove Boys, and <strong>the</strong> renownedathlete whom <strong>Lincoln</strong> vanquished in a wrestling-match that hasgone down in history.Old Jack was dead now. <strong>Lincoln</strong> gladly went before <strong>the</strong> juryand made one of <strong>the</strong> most moving and appealing addresses ofhis career, and saved <strong>the</strong> boy from <strong>the</strong> gallows.All <strong>the</strong> widowed mo<strong>the</strong>r had in <strong>the</strong> world was forty acres ofland, which she offered to turn over to <strong>Lincoln</strong>."Aunt Hannah," he said, "you took me in years ago whenI was poor and homeless, and you fed me and mended myclo<strong>the</strong>s, and I shan't charge you a cent now."Sometimes he urged his clients to settle out of court, andcharged <strong>the</strong>m nothing whatever for his advice. In one instance,he refused to take a judgment against a man, saying, "I amreally sorry for him — poor and a cripple as he is."Such kindness and consideration, beautiful though it was,didn't bring in cash; so Mary <strong>Lincoln</strong> scolded and fretted. Herhusband wasn't getting on in <strong>the</strong> world, while o<strong>the</strong>r lawyerswere growing wealthy with <strong>the</strong>ir fees and investments. Judge