The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-05-24

ordinately ambitious He had already
succeeded in obtaining no inconsidera.
BILE political recognition and numbered
among his party friends men of wealth
and reputation, but he himself was
poor, besides lacking the graces and
ease of bearing obtained through min
Cling in polite society. In fact, to use
the expressive language of Mary Owens,
he was deficient in those little links
which make up the chain of woman s
happiness. Conscious, therefore. of his
humble rank in the social scale, how
natural that he should seek by marriage
in an influential family to establish
strong connections and at the same time
foster his political fortunes! This may
seem an audacious thing to insinuate,
but on no other basis can we reconcile
the strange course Of his courtship and
the tempestuous chapters in his married
life.
Mary Todd, who afterward became
the wife of Mr.. Lincoln, was born in
Lexington, KY, Dec. IS, 1918. "My
mother, " related Mrs. Lincoln to me in
1865, "died when was still young. I
was educated by Nine. Mantelli, a lady
who lived opposite Mr.. Clay's, and
who was an accomplished French schol-
ar. Our conversation at school was car
ried on entirely in French-in fact, we
were allowed to speak nothing else.
finished my education at Mrs. Ward s
academy, an institution to which many
people from the north sent their daugh-
tiers. In 1887 visited Springfield, Ills.
remaining three months. returned to
Kentucky, remaining till 1889, when
again set out for Illinois, which state
finally became my home.
To young lady in whose veins cours.
ed the blood that had come down from
a long and distinguished ancestral line,
who could even go back in the genealog-
ical chart to the sixth century, Lincoln,
the child of Nancy Hanks, whose descent
was dimmed by the shadow of tradi-
ton, was finally united in marriage
Sketch of Miss Todd.
When Mary Todd came to her sister s
house in Springfield in 1889, she was
in her twenty first year. She was a
young woman of strong, passionate ma.
ture and quick temper and had cleft
her home in Kentucky to avoid living
under the same roof with stepmother. -
She came to live with her oldest sister,
Elizabeth, who was the wife Of Lin
coins colleague in the legislature,
Ninian w. Edwards. She had two other
sisters, Frances, married to Dr. William
Wallace, and Anne, who afterward be-
came the wife of G. NJ Smith, prom
inent and wealthy merchant. They all
resided in Springfield. She was OF the
average height, weighing when l first
saw her about $50 pounds She was
rather compactly built, had a well
rounded face, rich dark brown hair and
blush gray eyes. In her bearing she
was proud, but handsome and vivacious.
Her education had been in nowise de-
fective. She was good conversational,
using with equal fuency the French
and English languages. When she used
a pen, its point was sure to be sharp,
and she wrote with wit and ability. She
not only had quick intellect, but an
intuitive Judgment of men and their
motives Ordinarily she was affable and
even charming il her manners, but
when offended or antagonized her agree.
able qualities instantly disappeared be-
meath wave of stinging satire or sar.
castle bitterness, and her entire better
nature was submerged. In her figure
and physical proportions, in education,
bearing, temperament, history in every.
thing she was the exact reverse of Lin.
coin.
Lincoln Again In Love.
Through the influence of Joshua f.
Speed, who was warm friend of the
Edwardses, Lincoln was led to call on
Miss Todd. He was charmed with hel
wit and beauty no less than by her ex.
cellent social qualities and profound
knowledge of the strong and weak points
in individual character. One visit sue
ceeded another. 1t was the old story.
Lincoln had again fallen in love- 81