Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-06-25
THE LETTER.
BLOOMFIELD. Ill. Sent. 81. 1874

BLOOMFIELD, Nv, Oept. ~, 1911.
HISS Mary Speed, Louisville, Ky.
My FRIEND: Having resolved to write to
some of your mothers family, and not having
the express permission OF any one of them TO
do so, have had some little difficulty IN de-
termining on which to infict the task ofread-
ing what | now feel must be a most dull and
silly letter but when l remember that you
and were something of cronies while | was
at Pennington, an6 that while there | was
under the necessity of shutting you up in a
room to prevent your committing an assault
and battery upon me, Instantly decided that
you should be the devoted one.
| assume that you have not heard from
Joshua and myself since we left, because l
think il doubtful whether he has written.
You remember there was some uneasiness
about Joshua's health when we left. That
little indisposition of his turned out to be
nothing serious, and it was pretty nearly for
gotten when we reached Springfield. We got
on board the steamboat Lebanon, in the locks
of the canal, about II NJ. of the day We left,
and reached St. Louis the next Monday at 8
p. NJ. Nothing of interest happened during
the passage, except the yexatious delays oc-
casioned by the sand bars be thought interest
ing. By the way, fine example was pre-.
scented on board the boat for contemplating
the effect of condition upon human happiness.
A gentleman had purchased twelve negroes in
different parts of Kentucky, and was taking
them to farm in the South. They were
chained six and SIX together. A small iron
cevis was around the left wrist of each, and
this fastened to a main cham by shorter one,
at a convenient distance from the others, so
that the negroes were strung together pre-
cisely like so many fish upon trout-line.
In this condition they were being separated
forever from the scenes of their childhood,
their friends, their fathers and mothers and
brothers and sisters, and many of them from
their wives and children, and going into per-
petual slavery, where the lash of the master
is proverbially more ruthless and unre'entIng
than other where; and yet, amid all these
distressing circumstances, as we would think
them, they were the most cheerful and ap-
parently happy creatures on board One
whose offense for which he had been sold
was an over-fondness for his wife, PLAYED the
fiddle almost continually; and the others
danced, sung, cracked jokes, and played vari.
Gus games with cards from day to day. How
true it is that, "God tempers the wind to the
shorn lamb,'' or, in other words, that he rem
ders the worst of human conditions tolerable.
while he permits the best to be nothing bet
ter than tolerable. To return to the narrative.
When we reached Springfield, | stayed but
one day when started on this tedious circuit,
where | now am. Do you remember my 60
ing to the city, while was in Kentucke, to
have tooth extracted, end making a failure
of it? Well, that same old tooth got to
paining me so much that about week since
l had It torn out, bringing with il bit of the
awbone, the consequence of which is that
my mouth is now SO sore / can neither talk
nor eat am literally ''subsisting on savory
lemembrances," THAT is, being unable to eat,
am living npon the membranes of the
delicious dishes of peaches and cream
we used 10 have at your house. When we
left, Miss Fanny Henning was owing YOU
visit as | understood. Has she paid it vet /?
If she has, are you not convinced that she is
one of the sweetest girls in the world? There
is but one thing about her, SO far as could
perceive, that would have otherwise than
as it is-that is something of a tendency to
melancholy. This, let it be observed, is
misfortune, not fault Give her an assur-
ance of my very highest regard when you see
her. Is little Siss Eliza Davis at your house
yet? If she is, kiss her ''o'er and DER AGAIN.
for me. Tell your mother that have not got
her "present" with me, but intend to read it
regularly when | return home. | doubt not
that il is really, as she says, the best cure for
the blues, could one but take it according TO
the truth. Give my respects to all your
sisters (ncluding Aunt Emma) AMI brothers.
Tell Mrs. Peay, of whose happy face shall
long retain a pleasant remembrance, that |
have been trying TO think of name for her
homestead, but as yet -ca9naH; p satisfy myself
me from you soon after you receive this
and IN case you choose to favor me with one.
address il TO Charleston, Coles county, III.
as shall be there about the time to receive
II. Your sincere friend, A. LINCOLN