Your guess: "angels" or "ages?"

[brtmchl]

I'm going with " ages."
Not only because I believe Hay's recollection. But I believe that Stanton would want to make a dramatic statement such as this. I would imagine that Lincoln and Stanton would have had many conversations regarding the changes that would ensue from the war and the importance of essentially building a new nation.
I am not discounting Angels either. But with the emotions surrounding the many hours that Lincoln held on. I believe Stanton had the time to think of what would and should be said at that final moment.