There is a tale about Abraham Lincoln before the Civil War. He happened upon a slave auction and noticed from the crowd the object of the next sale. A beautiful young black woman stood on the auctioneer's stage. The bidding started and the men in the crowd began raising the price one after another as they appraised her with cruel stares. But with each bid Abraham Lincoln would raise it one dollar higher. As this continued the young slave girl eyed the tall awkward man with a look of suspicion and fear. Finally the last bid was made, and it fell to young Lincoln. Lincoln paid the auctioneer and the slave girl was brought to him. "Remove her chains", he ordered her former captor. The girl rubbed her wrists and glared at her new master with uncertainty. "What ya' goin' ta' do wit' me now", she asked. "Why, I'm going to sit you free miss", he answered. "Free? What you mean, free?" "I mean you are a free person. You are no longer a slave." Ya' mean I can do whatever I want?" she exclaimed. Ya' mean I can go anywhere I want?" Abraham Lincoln just smiled and nodded his head. "Then I want to be wit' you!" she shouted. He looked down at her, puzzled. "You can go anywhere. Why would you want to follow me?" "Cause I wanna be wit' the one who set me free."