The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-02-06

made the journey and duly reIuI"o"' '
company, sure enough Lincoln was asIon
ished The bride proposed appeareu " Ia IN
trife too willing, but he gave her tne Oen'N'
of the doubt.
There were other objections to her; for one
thing that, while her face was attractive sne
had no fgure-she was uncommony s'ou''
For another, his own financial condition he
had settled at Springfield, capital OF the state'
and began here the practice OF law Without
however substantial result as yet. but ne
had told her sister he says in letters quoted
nv Miss Tarbell that he would take the laoy
for better or worse, and this he must DO since
n was a point of honor with him to STICK 10
his word particularly where as in this case
others had been induced to act upon It,
He corresponded with this lady, and was
firm in his resolution to marry her. ana even
planned how he might get along after tne
marriage He took the precaution to write
ber from Springfield and gave her strong mint
of the poverty of his resources asking her at tne
same time to deliberate maturely" AS this
bowever drew from her no decision, after walt
tho three months he wrote again, putting the
matter between them squarely up to her "What
7 wish" said he sis that our further acqualnt-
ance should depend upon yourself"
Miss Owens had the discernment to perceive
his feelings. She answered. declining his offer OF
marriage. She found him, she said deficient in
those little links which go to make up the chain
of woman's happiness" Lincoln was mortl-
fed" so he wrote friend: his vanity wounded
by the reflection that he had been too stupid to
understand her, while, at the same time, never
doubling that he understood her perfectly
The Third Affair.
It was in 1889 or 1910 that Lincoln met Miss
Mary Todd of Lexington KY, whom he afterward
married Their courtship was interesting and
rather animated. One OF its incidents was
broken engagement, an6 that, according to one
authority on the very day set Tor the wedding.
Lincoln was thirty or thirty-one when Miss
Todd came to Springfield, and had been practic-
ing law in that place for three or four years
The lady was the daughter of Robert s. Todd, a
prominent Kentuckian, and was living, when
Lincoln made her acquaintance, with her sister,
Mrs Nnan W. Edwards, the wife of one of the
notables of Springfield. She was handsome,
stylish, witty and spirited and soon after her
arrival in the Illinois capital began to cut fig
ure in it's society and to draw In her train the
more prominent beaux Of the town, among others
who afterward rose to distinction, besides Lin
coin, Stephen A. Douglas, the little Giant" lat
er OF the stump and senate. and Shields, hero Of
the Mexican war, and one OF the most pictur-
esque figures in American life
Ere long 1t began to be apparent that among
these suitors and frequenters Of the Edwards
mansion Lincoln was her favorite. AS the init.
macy with him grew her relations protested; he
was not of their sort; they were wealthy and
well-bred, and looked on him of the plebeian
cast, as one socially inferior. He was of the
humblest origin. crude and unpublished in man
ners, and, worst Of all. was poor Miss Todd
however was unmoEed by their objections. She
loved him, believed in him, seems to have di.
vined his quality and had faith in his future
In 1910 they engaged to marry.
But as the proverb has 1t, "the course OF true
love never did run smooth" So at least 1t, turn.
ed out in their case It is not perhaps strange,
considering the difference in their tastes their
ideals and breeding, that they did soon fall out.
Miss Todd was an exacting sweetheart: Mr.. Lin
coin careless. 4