Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-02-15

IN Springfield. her SISTER was JH6 vile VI
W. Edwards, one of the most prominent men CT
Springfield Miss Todd was bright witty, highly
educated ambitious, and at once became the
belle of Springfield. Few young women nave nau
more great men suitors for their hand than hau
Miss Todd within month of her arrival
Among those who paid ardent attention 10 ner
were Stephen A. Douglas, James Shields VINO
later was senator from three states and VINO
made a glorious record in three wars; Abraham
Lincoln and dozen others
The Edwards family protested against Miss
Todd's partially for Lincoln. They thought MS
family >pIubean they thought, too he was
too grave man. 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, rivoties OF all sorts
that are so dear to women. Lincoln did not care
much for those things and was shocklngV
thoughtless and nattentive for an engaged man.
When there some merrymaking, II he dldn
want to go, he didn't think she'd care. She, how
ever, thought it slight She complained that
he neglected her. Then, to make him feel bad
about it, she would go with Shields or with
Douglas. There were tears, reproaches quar-
rels. They would make up and fall out again.
All this had a 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.
In6y were 10 nave D6Gu HdTII6u Ou Jduudly -
1912 Something happened and the wedding did
not take place There was a story, which was
credited to w. H. 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 Lincoln's letters written about this
time disclose his sufferings In one of them he
says:
Il 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 1 shall ever be better
l cannot tell. I 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 arousing Lincoln from his melancholia,
but he finally succeeded in manner he never
expected The friend fell in love himself and
began to feel qualmish as to whether he would
make his beloved happy. He became so miser-
able over 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
was a reconciliation.
On November 4, following Lincoln and Mary
Todd were married While the marriage cere-
mony was being performed one of the greatest
storms In the history or Springfield raging
Did you ever write out a story in your mind?"
Lincoln once asked friend. 'I did when 7 was
a young fellow. One day a wagon with lady
and two girls and broke down near US, and
while they were fixing up they cooked in our
kitchen The woman had books and read US
Stories ard they the first of the kind ever
had heard. l took great fancy to one Of the
girls, and when they were gone thought of her
a great deal, and one day when I was sitting out
in the sun by the house I wrote out a story in
my mind.
i thought / took my fathers horse and fol-
lowed the wagon, and finally l found it. and
they were surprised to see me. l talked with the
girl and persuaded her to elope with me: and
that night l put her on the horse and we started
off across the prairie. After several hours we
came to camp, and when we rode I'D we found
it was the one we had left few hours before.
and we went in
THE next night we tried again and the same
thing happened-the horse came back to the
same place: and then we concluded that we
ought not to elope. l stayed until | had per.
suaded her father to give her to me- ALWAYS
meant TO write that story out and pubisb II
and began once. but I concluded it was not
much of a story But I think that was the be-
ginning OF love with me-"