Who Broke Lincoln's Thumb? by Ron Roy Page A

he’d be twenty-eight feet tall!”
    A man and woman were standing in front of the statue with a little kid who was sucking his thumb. The man was snapping pictures. The camera’s flash blazed each time the shutter clicked.
    Suddenly the man pulled his camera away from his face. He stared at thestatue, then said, “I don’t believe it!”
    â€œWhat?” the woman asked.
    The man pointed upward toward Lincoln’s left hand. “His thumb is gone!” the man said.
    KC and Marshall rushed forward. “Oh my gosh!” KC cried. “One of his thumbs
is
missing!”
    Where Lincoln’s left thumb should have been, there was just a stump.
    The man grinned down at his son. “That’s what happens when people suck their thumbs,” he joked.
    â€œDo you suppose the thumb just fell off?” the woman asked.
    â€œIf it did, it should be here,” the man said, glancing down at the area near the statue. “But it’s not.”
    â€œCome on, Daddy,” the little boy said.“You promised we could see the Air and Space Museum!”

    The family hurried away, passing two men coming up the steps. One was tall and skinny. The other was short and stumpy, like a fire hydrant.
    They were wearing gray work shirts with NATIONAL PARK SERVICE stitched over the pockets.
    â€œDid you come about Lincoln’s thumb?” KC asked when the men reached the statue.
    â€œWhat thumb?” the tall man asked.
    Marshall pointed up to Lincoln’s left hand. “That thumb, only it’s gone,” he said.
    Both men stood under the statue gazing up.
    â€œWell, I’ll be darned,” said the tall man. “It was here a while ago, wasn’t it, Stub?”
    The man named Stub nodded. “Righto, Ralphie. When I dusted his hands, Abe had both his thumbs,” he said.
    â€œWhy did you dust him?” KC asked.
    â€œWe’re cleaning the statue for the ceremony tonight,” Stub answered. “We just took a little coffee break. When we left, he still had his thumb!”
    Ralphie pulled a snapshot out of his pocket and handed it to KC. “Some tourist took this and gave it to me,” he said.
    KC and Marshall looked at the picture. In it, Stub was standing on the black ladder with a dusting cloth in one hand. The ladder was up on the platform, leaning against Lincoln’s right knee.
    KC and Marshall could easily see that Lincoln still had both his thumbs.

2
Mr. President,
We Have a Problem
    â€œDo you mind if I go up on your ladders for a minute?” KC asked. “I want to see that hand close up.”
    Ralphie shook his head. “Sorry, miss,” he said. “We could get in trouble for letting a civilian use our equipment.”
    â€œI’m not exactly a regular civilian,” KC said. “My mother is married to President Thornton.”
    Both men gawked at KC.
    â€œYou’re that kid?” Stub asked. “The First Daughter?”
    KC nodded. “I’m KC Corcoran,” she said with a big smile. “And if you let meclimb up there, I’ll tell the president how helpful you were.”
    â€œOkay, miss, I guess it’ll be all right,” Ralphie said. He climbed up onto the platform and stood next to Lincoln’s feet.
    Stub lifted the black ladder off the floor and handed it up. Ralphie leaned the ladder against Lincoln’s right knee.
    â€œOkay, come on up, miss, but be careful,” Ralphie said, looking down at KC.
    Stub held the lower ladder for her, and KC scampered up with her camera strap around her wrist. Then she climbed up the black ladder. At the top, her nose was only inches from Lincoln’s left hand.
    â€œWhat do you see?” Marshall asked.
    â€œIt looks like the thumb broke off,” KC said.
    â€œKC, what do you mean? We
know
thethumb broke off,” Marshall said.

    â€œI mean, I don’t think it was cut off, like with a saw or something,” KC said.