Monologue

Front 1

I WROTE him a letter asking him for old times’ sake
To discharge my sick boy from the army;

Back 1

Beat

Front 2

But maybe he couldn’t read it.

Back 2

B

Front 3

Then I went to town and had James Garber,
Who wrote beautifully, write him a letter;

Back 3

B

Front 4

But maybe that was lost in the mails

Back 4

B

Front 5

So I traveled all the way to Washington.
I was more than an hour finding the White House.

Back 5

B

Front 6

I WROTE him a letter asking him for old times’ sake
To discharge my sick boy from the army;

Back 6

Beat

Front 7

But maybe he couldn’t read it.

Back 7

B

Front 8

Then I went to town and had James Garber,
Who wrote beautifully, write him a letter;

Back 8

B

Front 9

But maybe that was lost in the mails

Back 9

B

Front 10

So I traveled all the way to Washington.
I was more than an hour finding the White House.

Back 10

B

Front 11

And when I found it they turned me away,
Hiding their smiles. Then I thought:

Back 11

b

Front 12

“Oh, well, he ain’t the same as when I boarded him
And he and my husband worked together
And all of us called him Abe, there in Menard.”

Back 12

b

Front 13

And all of us called him Abe, there in Menard.”

Back 13

b

Front 14

As a last attempt I turned to a guard and said:

Back 14

b

Front 15

“Please say it’s old Aunt Hannah Armstrong
From Illinois, come to see him about her sick boy
In the army.”

Back 15

b

Front 16

Well, just in a moment they let me in!

Back 16

b

Front 17

And when he saw me he broke in a laugh

Back 17

b

Front 18

And dropped his business as president,

Back 18

b

Front 19

And wrote in his own hand Doug’s discharge,

Back 19

b

Front 20

Talking the while of the early days,
And telling stories.

Back 20

b