Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1907-03-26
SDri0~6eld. Feb. 25. 1S42.

Springfield. Feb %, 1872
Dear Speed-I received yours of the 18TH.
written the day you went down to VIII
Hams place some days since. but delayed
answering it till I should receive the
promised one of the 18th. which came last
night. I opened the letter with intense
anxiety and trepidation-so much that.
although it turned out better than 1 ex-
pccted. I have hardly yet, at the distance
of ten hours. become calm.
tell you, Speed. forebodings (for
which you and l are peculiarly are all the
worst sort Of nonsense. 1 fancied from
the time 1 received your letter of Satur-
Gay that the one of Wednesday was never
to come. and yet it did come. and. what
is more it is perfectly clear both from its
tone and handwriting that you were much
happier or. If you think the term prefer
able. less miserable. when you wrote 1t
than when you wrote the last one before.
You had so obviously improved at the
very time I so much fancied you would
have grown worse. You say that some
thing indescribably horrible and alarm
ing still haunts you. You will not say
that three months from now. 1 will ven
ture When your nerves once get steady
now the whole trouble will be over for
ever. Nor should you become impatient
at their being even very slow in becoming
steady. Again, you say you much fear
that that Eysium of which you have
dreamed so much is never to be realized.
Well. If 1t shall not. I dare swear it will
not be the fault of her who is now your
wife I now have no doubt that 1t is the
peculiar misfortune of both you and me
to dream dreams Of Elysium far exceed
ing all that anything earthly can realize.
Far short of your dreams you may be,
no woman could do more to realize them
than that same black eyed Fanny. If you
could but contemplate her through my
imagination 1t would appear ridiculous to
you that any one should for a moment
think of being unhappy with her. My old
father used to have saying that eff you
make bad bargain hug it all the tight
err and 1t occurs to that, If the bar
gain you have just closed can possibly
be called a bad one. it is certainly the
most pleasant one for applying that
maxim to which my fancy can by any
effort picture.
write another letter. inclosing this,
which you can show her if she desires 1t.
do this because she would think
strangely perhaps should you tell her
that you received no letters from me or.
telling her you do. refuse to let her see
them. I close this, entertaining the con-
fident hope that every successive letter I
shall have from you (Which here pray
may not be few far between) may
show you possessing a more steady hand
and cheerful heart than the last preced-
ing it. AS ever, your friend
LINCOLN.
Springfield, March 81 1912.
Dear Spoed-Yours of the 10th inst was
received three of four days since. You
know I am sincere when 1 tell you the
pleasure its contents gave me was and is
Inexpressible. AS to your farm matter.
have no sympathy with you. I have no
farm nor ever expect to have, and con-
sequently have not studied the subject
enough to be much interested with 1t. 1
can only say that I am glad you are
satisfied and pleased with it.
But that other subject to me of the
most intense interest whether in joy or
sorrow I never had the power to with
hold my sympathy from you 1t cannot
be told how it now thrills me with joy
to hear you say you are far napier
than you ever expected to be-" That
much l know Is enough. I know you too
well to suppose your expectations were
not at least sometimes eXtravagant and.
If the reality exceeds them all. I say,
Enough, dear Lord" I am not going
beyond the truth when I tell you that the
short space it took me to read your last
letter gave more pleasure than the
total sum of all have enjoyed since that
fatal 1st of January, 1S41. Since then 1t
seems to me should have been entirely
happy but for the never absent idea that
there is one still unhappy whom I have
contributed to make so. That still kills
my soul. I cannot but reproach myself
for even wishing to be happy while she
party on the railroad cars to Jackson
vile last Monday and her return
spoke. so that I heard of 1t, of having
enjoyed the trip exceedingly. God be
praised for thati
You know with what sleepless vigilance
I have watched you ever since the COM |
mepcement of your affair. and, although
I am almost confident 1t is useless. can |
not forbear once more to say that think |
1t is even yet possible for your spirits to |
dag down and leave you miserable = |
they should don't fail to remember that |
they cannot long remain so. One thing I |
car tell you which 1 know you will be |
glad to hear and that is that have seen |
and scrutinizcd her feelings as well |
ss 1 could and am fully convinced she is |
far happier now than she has been for |
the last fifteen months past.
You will see by the last Sangamon
Journal that 1 have made a temperance |
speech on the ed of February. which 1 |
claim that Fanny and you shall read as |
an act of charity to me, for I cannot |
learn that anybody else has read Il Ii |
likely to. Fortunately 1t is not very long, |
and 1 shall deem 1t sufficient compliance |
with my request If one of you listens |
while the ether reads it.
AS to your Lockridge matter it is only |
necessary to say that there has been no |
court since you left and that the next |
commences tomorrow morning. during |
which l suppose we cannot fail to get a |
Judgment.
l wish you would learn of Everett what |
he would take over and above n discharge !
for all the trouble have been at to |
take his business out OF our hands and |
give 1t to somebody else 1t Is impossible |
to collect money on that or any other !
claim here now, and, although you know |
/ am not a very petulant man. I declare |
I am almost out of patience with Mr.. |
Everett's endless Importantly. 1t seems |
like he not only writes all the letters he |
can himself. but gets everybody else in |
Louisville and vicinity to be constantly |
writing to about his claim. I have /
always said that Mr.. Everett is a very /
clever fellow. and I very sorry he /
cannot be obliged but it does seem to me !
he ought to know we are interested to |
collect his claim and therefore would do |
1t II we could.
I am neither Joking nor in a pet when
i say we would thank him to transfer his
business to some other, without any COM
pensation for what we have done, pro-