Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-02-08

made the journey and duly returned. sister in
company sure enough Lincoln was aston
ished. The bride proposed appeared TO MIN a
trihe too willing, but he gave her the benent
of the doubt
There were other objections to her; for one
thing that while her face was attractive sne
had no fgure-she was uncommonly stout
For another, his financial condition. he
had settled at Springfield. capital of the state
ant began here the practice of law, without
however substantial result yet But ne
had told her sister, he says in letters quoted
by Miss Tarben, that he would take the lady
for better or worse and this he must do since
it was point of honor with him to STICK TO
his word particularly where, as In TINS case
others had been induced to act upon It.
He corresponded with this lady, ana was
firm in his resolution to marry her, and even
planned how he might get along after the
marriage He took the precaution to write
her from Sprin gtield and gave her strong mint
Of the poverty of his resources, asking her at the
same time to deliberate maturely-" AS thls'
however drew from her decision, after wait
ING three months he wrote again. putting tne
matter between them squarely up to her what
1 wish" said he, ''is 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, def1clent IN
those little links which go to make up the cnalh
of . voman's happiness" Lincoln "morti-
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 afterwaro
married Their courtship 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 thirty-one when MISS
Todd came to Springfield, and had been practic-
ing in that place for some three or four years
The lady the daughter of Robert s TODD
prominent Kentuckian, and living, when
Lincoln made her acquaintance, with her sister
Mrs Ninian w Edwards, the wife of one of the
notables of Sprin geld. She was handsome
stylish witty and spirited and soon after her
arrival in the Illinois capital began to cut fig
ure in its society and draw in her train the
more prominent heaux of the town, among others
who afterward to distinction. besides Lin
coln Stephen A. Douglas, the Little Giant lat
er of the stump and senate, and Shields, hero OF
the Mexican war, and OF the most plctur-
esque figures in American life
Ere long it began to be apparent that among
these suitors and frequenters of the Edwards
mansion Lincoln her favorite- As the init
macy with him grew her relations protested; he
welIbred and looked 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 unmoved by their objections She
loved him. believed in him, seems to have d.
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 did smooth" So. at least, it turn
ed out in their case. 1t is perhaps strange.
considering the difference in their tastes. their
ideals and breeding. that they did soon fall out
Miss Todd exscting sweetheart; MI Lln-
coin careless