Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-06-12
FROM th9 Ntlautic Monthly Tor April.
President Lincoln and Ann Rutledge

Abraham Lincoln, born in the class of
poorest cmerants. was trained 10 a far dit
tereni life in his early home. from that
which the books describe | do not think
that it was upon slavery that Thomas Lin
coin turned his back when he went 10 India
IA. 1t was upon brawing reckless
nei ghborhood, that made life unendurahle
The pious care OF good, poor parents, 50
touchingy described in cur books, only to
be ridiculed in Illinois. Abraham certainly
had His step-mother-a woman far su-
perior to anv whom Thomas Lincoln could
have hoped to win in any state Of society
but one which made man Il necessary
protector Of every woman-seems TO have
been his first and best friend. To her he
was always grateful. and to the last stood
between her and trouble Among the
most touching relics which | saw At Spring
field was an old copy-book, in which, at
the age of fourteen, Lincoln had taught
himself to write and cipher. Scratched IN
his boyish hand on the first page were
these words
..rTis Abraham Lincoln holds the pen.
fe ciH be good, but God k1o'rS IcteR t'
am not ashamed of the tears that
started a. | read, with instructed eyes,
that half despairing prayer. He never
carried from home the - laughing face
Charles Sumner once ascribed to him. His
life had been sad there was nothing pleas
ant to remember III anything connected
with the past-many things he would have
given the world to forget. Il must make
name for myself he began to think
and, turning his back on the home which
he had no desire to see again, he went to
New Salem, and opened his life shop
keeper and surveyor. Here he met with a
woman more cultivated and refined than
could have been expected to be found
among the people | have described. Once
about the time of his arrival there-he
was wrestling, in Illinois style, with his
sister Sarah and some neighbors' girls. He
threw one of the latter roughly, and his
sister turned upon him with sharp words
What do you ever expect to be, she
asked, if YOU treat women like that ?
A sort of a shadow settled over him; the
exhilaration of the gymnast disappeared
and putting hand on each of her shoul-
ders, he answered seriously, " am to be a
great man, Sarah, and am to have sac
destiny F." then turned and left her
Whether this great, ''sad destiny" en-
compaSsed him even then-whether those
dark, sad ewes told his story without
words-or whether, as was natural, Mr.
Lincoln told to the only girl he ever loved
1t tale of sorrow, such as he afterwards ad
mitted to his best friends among men, We
shall never know. 1t is enough to know
that the hearts of Ann Rutledge and Abra
ham Lincoln drew together, and that the
kew to his whole life will one day be showI
to lie in the facts of this love, and those
facts of his history which transpired before
his birth
Ann Rutledge was lady-one of the
very few that had penetrated to Illinois al
early as 1888. OF family educated anG
aristocratic She was hetrothed, before Mr.
Lincoln ever saw her, to a Scotch merchant
In those days Illinois was as far from New
York as kamschatka now Is They wer,
soon to be married, when the Scotchmar
went for business purposes to that city
For months nothing was heard OF him. L
was supposed that he was dead, or hat
wickedlv deserted Ann. The truth is tha
he lay i'll of delirious fever, while Ann
mind was tortured by suspense and disap
pointment Mr.. Lincoln went to her faith
er's house to board Here he first Learned
to read Shakespeare and Burns. Can W.
doubt whose memory made these poem
precious during those few months of hi
life in which he was once heard to say
i" My heart lies buried in the grave of tina
: girl !" In time, a sort Of provisional en-
gagement ensued There were circum