The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-02-11

In Springfield. Her sister was the wife OF Ninian
w. Edwards. Of the most prominent men oi
Springfield Miss Todd bright witty. hlgniy
educated ambitious, and at once became the
belle of Springfield. Few young women have haa
more great men suitors for their hand than had
Miss Todd within one month OF her arrival
Among those who paid ardent attention to her
were Stephen A, Douglas James Shields. VINO
later was senator from three states and VINO
made glorious record in three wars; Abraham
Lincoln, and dozen others.
The Edwards family protested against Miss
Todd's Partially for Lincoln. They Thought his
family plobeian; they thought, too he was
too grave a But Miss Todd loved Lincoln
and they became engaged.
They were not altogether happy in their en-
gagement. Miss Todd was jealous and exacting.
She loved balls and parties, frivoties of all sorts
that dear to women. Lincoln did not care
much for those things and was shockingly
thoughtless and inattentive for engaged man.
When there was some merrymakng, IL he didn't
want to go, he didn't think she'd care. She, how
ever. thought 1t slight. She complained that
he neglected her. Then, to make him feel bad
about 1t, she would go with Shields or with
Douglas. There tears. reproaches. quar-
rels They would make up and fall out again.
All this had very bad effect upon Lincoln. He
became extremely morbid. He began to search
his soul to answer the question as to whether or
not he would make the woman's life unhappy
They were to nave been married on january Il
1912 Something happened and the wedding did
not take place There story, which was
credited to W. II. Herndon. that Lincoln failed
to appear, but this has been pronounced untrue
by those who ought to know 1t is more likely
that one of their many quarrels led to the break
between them
Some of Lincolns letters written about this
time disclose his sufferings. In one OF them he
says:
II am now the most miserable man living. If
what feel were equally distributed to the whole
human family there would not be one cheerful
face on earth. Whether l shall ever be better
| cannot tell fear | shall not To remain as
| am is impossible"
Reconciliation and Marriage.
One Of his friends in Kentucky invited him
there in the hope of cheering him up He had
hard time arousng Lincoln from his melancholia,
but he finally succeeded in a manner he never
expected. The friend fell in love himself and
began to feel qualmish to whether he would
make his beloved happy. He became SO miser-
able his doubt in this regard that Lincoln
tried to cheer him up, and in trying to cheer his
friend, Lincoln cheered up himself.
When Lincoln returned to Illinois he was
much better. He and Miss Todd met and there
reconciliation
On November A. following, Lincoln and Mary
Todd were married. While the marriage cere-
mony was being performed of the greatest
storms in the history of Springfield was raging.
did you ever write out a story in your mind?"
Lincoln once asked friend. Il did when was
a young fellow One day wagon with lady
and two girls and man broke down near u.s. and
while they were fixing up they cooked in our
kitchen. The woman had books and read US
stories. and they we're the first of the kind ever
had heard. took great fancy to of the
girls and whom they were gone thought of her
a great DEAL and one day when sitting out
in the by the house l wrote out a story in
my mind
II thought ! took my fathers horse and fol-
lowed the wagon. and finally / found It, and
they surprised to me. talked with the
girl and persuaded her to elope with me; and
that night put her on the horse and started
of the preirie. After several hours
came to a camp, and when rode up found
It was the had left few hours before,
and went in.
THE next night we tried again, and the same
thing happened-the horse came back to the
same place; and then concluded that we
ought not to elope / stayed until had per-
suaded her father to give her to me. I always
meant to write that story out and publish IL,
and began once, but ! concluded It was not
much OF story. But think that was the be-
ginning of love with me-"