Congressman John K. Hendrick of Kentucky, now deceased, was notoriously soft hearted.
He was sitting in a courtroom one day when a young and struggling member of the local bar, who was not especially renowned for mental brilliancy, undertook to read a petition in a divorce suit and speedily got himself badly tangled up in a confused maze of legal phrases. The judge sought to set the young lawyer right, but the only result was to tangle him worse than ever. The judge was showing signs of losing his temper when Col. Hendrick arose.
“I hope, your Honor,” he said, “that you will bear patiently with our young friend here. He is doing his best.”
“I know that, Col. Hendrick,” said the judge, somewhat testily, “and I intend to bear patiently with him. I am merely trying to give Mr. So-and-So an idea.” “Your Honor,” said Col. Hendrick, “don’t do it. He’s got no place to put it.”
