Abe Lincoln at Last!: A Merlin Mission

room.
Now
, he thought,
before they make the bed!
He scrambled out and ran to the door.
    One of the girls screamed. Jack didn’t look back. He threw open the door and headed for the stairs. As he bounded down the steps, one of the maids shrieked, “There was a boy under the bed!”
    Jack reached the bottom of the stairs and squeezed through the crowd until he found a nook off the hallway. He scrunched against the wall, then peeked around the corner to see if anyone was coming after him.
    Someone grabbed his arm.
    “Ahh!” Jack yelled.
    “It’s me!” said Annie. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
    “I was upstairs! In President Lincoln’s bedroom!” Jack said. “Tad made me go in there! Did you know that President Lincoln is Tad and Willie’s dad?”
    “That’s what I was going to tell you. Willie introduced me to their mom!” said Annie. “She was really nice. Those were all her relatives in the parlor.”
    “Well, Tad tricked me into hiding under the bed, and I almost got caught!” Jack said. “And Tad didn’t even remember I was there. He kept talking about the tree house, saying it was
his
.”
    “Willie says Tad gets overly excited,” said Annie. “He can’t help it. Plus, it’s their very first week in the White House.”
    “Well, it was awful,” said Jack. “I was trapped under the president’s bed!”
    Annie giggled. “You know, that’s actually pretty funny,” she said.
    “Not really,” said Jack.
    “Don’t worry,” said Annie. “Willie would have saved you. He told me to find you and then come upstairs to his dad’s office and he’ll introduce us. It’s on the second floor at the end of the hall.”
    “Okay,” said Jack, sighing. “I heard the president say he’d like to meet us.”
    “Really?” said Annie.
    “Yep, when Tad told him about the tree house and you and me, the president kept saying, ‘Jack and Annie? Jack and Annie? Are you sure their names are Jack and Annie?’ ”
    “That’s weird,” said Annie. “But I’m glad he wants to meet us. Come on.”
    Jack and Annie headed down the hallway and up the stairs. On the second floor, Jack kept his head down, just in case the maids were looking for him. Jack followed Annie down the hall toward a group of people standing outside a door.
    A skinny man with a small pointed beard was speaking to them. “Ladies and gentlemen, please! I’m sorry, but only the names on my list can meet with the president today!”
    Jack recognized the man’s voice. “That’s Mr. Nicolay,” he told Annie.
    “Who are you to tell us we can’t see the president?” a woman in a pink bonnet asked Mr. Nicolay.
    “I am President Lincoln’s secretary, ma’am,” Mr. Nicolay said sourly, “and if you do not have an appointment, you must leave.”
    “Excuse me, Mr. Nicolay, but I believe that I am on your list,” said a dignified man. He showed the secretary a piece of paper. The secretary checked the paper against his list.
    “Of course. This way, Mr. Bennet,” Mr. Nicolay said. He opened the door and nodded for Mr. Bennet to enter, then followed him inside. While the door was open, Jack and Annie peeked into the room.
    Abraham Lincoln was sitting at a long table. Tad was perched on his lap, fiddling with his dad’s tie. Willie was studying a map on the wall, whilethe president was listening to one of the men at the table.

    “Willie!” Annie whispered loudly.
    Willie didn’t hear, but Mr. Nicolay did—he rushed back out of the president’s office.
    “Willie!” Annie shouted.
    Willie turned around just as Mr. Nicolay closed the door.

CHAPTER FIVE
Leave Now!
    “E xcuse me, young lady!” Mr. Nicolay said. “This is not a time for play.”
    “I’m not playing, sir,” said Annie as she and Jack stood at the front of the crowd. “We’re friends of Tad and Willie’s, and Willie just told us to come here to the president’s office. He wants to introduce us to his dad.”
    Mr. Nicolay scowled. “I’m afraid Mr. Willie misspoke. The president does not have time to meet you now,” he said. “He is in a private meeting with delegates from California, Indiana, and Maine.”

    “Maybe later, then?” said Annie.
    “Not maybe later,” said Mr. Nicolay. “After this meeting he is scheduled to have a meeting with his generals, and then a meeting with the Department of the Navy.”
    “Excuse me—” a man in the crowd called out.
    “But I heard the president say he’d like