The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-06-14
SKETCHES OF LINCOLN.
The Old Story of How He Fell
In Love.
DESCRIPTION OF ANNE RUTLEDGE

Lincoln's Mind.
From "The Life of Lincoln" by William H.
Herndon and Jesse Y. Weill. Copyright, 1883,
by Jesse ". Teik Copyright, 1892 by D. APP
pleton & Co.
VIII.
Since the days when in Indiana Lin
coin sat on the rivers bank with little
Kate Roby, dangling his bare feet in the
water, there has been no hint Sn these
pages of tender relations with any one of
the opposite sex. Now we approach in
timely order the grand passion" of his
Nfe-a romance of much reality, the mem
DRY of which threw a melancholy shade
over the remainder Of his days. For the
first time our hero falls in love- The
courtship with Anne Rutledge and her
untimely death form the saddest page in
Mr.. Lincoln's history.
James Rutledge, the father of this in
teresting girl, was one of the founders of
New Salem, having come there from Ken
lucky in 1929. Besides his business inter-
ests in the store and mill at New Salem
he kept the tavern where Lincoln came to
board in 1888. His family, besides him
self and wife, consisted of nine children,
three of whom were born in Kentucky, the
remaining six in Illinois. Anne, the sub
ject of this chapter, was the third child
She was beautiful girl, and by her win
ming ways attached people to her so firm
| ly that she soon became the most popular
young lady in the village. She was quick
of apprehension, industrious and an ex
cellent hoUsekeeper She had moderate
education, but was not cultured except by
contrast with those around her. At every
quilting Anne was necessary adjunct,
and her ninble fingers drove the needle
more swiftly than any one else. Lincoln
used to escort her to and from these quilt
ing bees and on one occasion even went
into the house-where men were consid-
cred out of place-and sat by her side as
she worked on the quilt,
He whispered into her ear the old, old
story Her heart throbbed, and her soul
was thrilled with a JOY as old as the world
itself Her fingers momentarily lost their
skill. In her ecstasy she made such irreg-
ular and Uneven stitches that the older
and more sedate women noted it, aud the
owner of the quilt, until few years ago
still retaining it as precious souvenir,
pointed out the memorable stitches to such
persons as visited her.
Handsome and Good.
Miss Rutledge," says lady who knew
her, had auburn hair, blue eyes, fair
complexion. She was pretty, slightly
slender, but in everything a good hearted
young woman. She was about feet 2
inches high and weighed in the neighbor
hood of 100 pounds. She was beloved by
all who knew her. She died, as it were, of
grief In speaking of her death and her
grave Lincoln once said to me, My heart
lies buried there
Before narrating the details of Lincoln's
courtship with Miss Rutledge it is proper
to mention briefly few facts that occur
red before their attachment began. "a,
About the same time that Lincoln drifts
ed into New Salem there came in from
the eastern states John Mcneil, young
man of enterprise and great activity, seek
ing his fortune in the west. He went to
work at once and within a short time
had accumulated hy commendable effort
comfortable amount of property With
in three years be owned farm and a half
interest with Samuel Hill in the leading
store. He had good capacity for business
and was a valuable addition to that all
ready pretentious village-New Salem. 1t
was while living at James Cameron's
house that this plucky and industrious
young business man first saw Anne Rut-
ledge. Mcneil fell deeply in love with
the schoolgirl-she was then only 17-and
paid her the usual unremitting attentions
young lovers of that age had done before
him and are still doing today His part
ner in the store, Samuel Hill, young
man of equal force of character, who aft
erward amassed a comfortable fortune and
also welded no little influence as local |
politician, laid siege to the heart of this |
So ar Inailot, hI,tb o vic JoI
the contest early. Anne rejected him,
and he dropped from the race Mcneil had
clear sailing from this time forward. |
After several years Mcneil, having dis. |
posed of his interest in the store to Hill, |
determined to return to New York, his
native state, for visit. He had accumu-
lated up to this time, as near as we can
learn, $4,000 or possibly S12, 600. Before !
leaving he made to Anne a singular reve-
lation. He told her the name Mcneil was
an assumed one that his real name was
McNamar.
McNamar, after much vexatious DELAY,
finally reached his birthplace in New
York, finding his father in the decline Of
years and health He provided for his i'm
mediate needs, and by his assiduous at
tentions undertook to atone for the years
of his neglect but all to 20 purpose The
old gentleman gradually faded from the
world and early one winter morning
crossed the great river McNamar was
thus left to settle up the few unfinished
details of his fathers estate and to provide
for the pressing needs of the family His
detention necessitated a letter to Anne
explaining the nature and cause of the de-
lay. Other letters followed, but each sue
ceeding one growing less ardent in tone
and more formal in phraseology than its
predecessor Anne began to lose faith. Had
his love gradually died away like the
morning windE was question she often
asked herself. She had stood firm under
fire before, but now her heart grew sick
with hope deferred AT last the CORE
spondence ceased altogether.
At this point we are favored with the
vi the ungainly Lincoln as
sutton for the hand of Miss Rutledge Lin
colin had learned of McNamar's strange |
conduct, and no doubt when he began to
pay her attentions she was the most at
.ractive young lady whom up to that time :
be had ever met. She was not only modest :
md winning in her ways and full of good, ,
common sense, but withal refn- ,
ID in contrast with the uncultured people ,
who surrounded both herself and Lincoln :
She had secret, too, and a sorrow-the ,
and painful absence ot Nc /,
n Isrh ~, hrr H., I