National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-09-13
Abraham Lincoln and Ann RutIedue

Abraham Lincoln and Ann RutIedge.
We left Herndon killing snakes,
hunting bears, and smoking cattle
i'll the bog at Springfield. There he
waited, from his thirteenth to his
fifteenth year, for the coming of
Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, born
Ill the class of poorest emigrantS,
was trained to a far different life, in
his early home, from that which the
books describe. do not think that
1t was upon slavery that Thomas
Lincoln turned his back when he
went to Indiana. 1t was upon
brawling, reckless neighborhood
that made life unendurlble. The
pious care of good, poor parents, so
touchingly described in our books
only to be ridiculed in Illinois, Abra.
ham certainly never had. His step
mOther-a woman far superior to
any whom Thomas Lincoln could
have hoped to win in any state of
society but one which made IL man
"A necessary protector of every wo-
man-SeemS to have been his first
and best friend. To her he was al
way grateful, and to the last stood
between her and trouble. Among
the most touching relies which !
saw at Springfield was an old copy
book, in which, at the age of four
teen, Lincoln had taught himself to
write and cipher. Scratched i'll his
boyish hand on the first page were
these words -
Ills Abraham Lincoln holds the pen
lie viii be good, but God knows wheu p
am not ashamed of the tears
that started as read, with instruct
ed eyes, that half deSpailing prayer.
He never carried from home the
'laughing face" Charles Sumner
once ascribcd to him. His life had
been sad there was nothing to re
member in anything connected with
the paSt-many things he would
have given the world to forget. ~
iiitCC iittthS Iulllt Iol III NtII- It
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 as a shop
keeper and surveyor. Here he met
with woman more cultivated and
re fined than could have been expect
ed to be found among the people
have observation-disclosures the time of
his arrival thcre--he was wrestling,
in Illinois style, with his sister Sa-
rah and some ncighborS' girls. He
threw one of the girls roughly, and
his sister turned upon him with
sharp words, '.What doNou ever eX-
pect to be- she asked, .'if You treat
women like that ?" a sort of a
shadow settled over him; the eXhil-
Grating of the symnast disappeared,
and putting a hand on each of her
shoulders, he answered seriously,
Il am to be great man, Sarah. land
am to have sad destiny" then turn
ed and left her. Whether this great,
"sad destiny" encompassed him
even then-whethcr those dark, sad
eyes told his story without words
or whether, as was natural, Mr.. Lin
coin told to the only girl he ever lov-
ed tale of SORROW, such as he after
wards admitted to his best friends
among men, we shall never know
1t is enough to know that the hearts
OF Ann kutledge and Abraham Lin
coin drew together, and that tn,
key to his whole life will one day be
shown to lie in the facts of this love
and those facts of his history whicl
transpircd before his birth.
Ann Rutledgc was lady-one o
the very few that had penetrated tc
Illinois as early as 1888. or a fam
lily educated and aristocratic, she
was bctrothcd, before Mr.. Lincoln
ever saw her, to Scotch merchant.
In those days Illinois was as ial
from New York as Kamstchtka now
Is. They were soon to be married
when the Scotchman went for buSi
ness purposes to the city. FoI
months, nothing was heard of him
1t was supposed that he was dead
or had wickcdly deserted Ann. TIL
truth is that he lay i'll of deliriou
fever, while AIMS mind was tortul
ed by suspense and disappointment
Mr.. Lincoln went to her father
house to board. Here he first Learn
ed to read Shakespeare and Burns
, Can we doubt whose memory mad
; these poems precious during thoS
, few months of his life. in which Ii
was once heard to say, "My hcal
lies buried in the grave of that girl
' In time, Il sort of provisional cl
gagement ensued. There were CT
/ cumstances in both lives which a.
pressed and panied. They lcarnc
:, to hold each other very dear. ii
i on this state of things broke the n
), NOR of the recovered Scotcliman
i return, after an absence of MOI
', than two years. The delicate II
tuie of the woman sank under
Betrothcd To two, both of who
she loved, she had no choice but
49, de. Under the conflict Of ieelin
: Mr.. Lincoln's reason gave away.
- lie pleaded in his despair, for ol
:, last interview, which long refuse,
~ !" was at last granted, before she di,
y August, 1886. That the shock Civ
to his powerful mind was u sevc
one, his subsequent life was TO sho
rs Twice, in crises OF great suilelil
III the unrcasoning despair ret,nne
a.. .,,1 e., ,i,,, n,o,,on, bp lost 4