Connecticut western news., 1922-05-11


 the whisky business and its relation to the character of Elipha1et Riggs and to sundry infractions of law and order in their community. Samson had de- clared that 1t was wrong to sell liquor.
 "All that kind of thing can be safe ly left to the common sense of our people," said Abe. ''The remedy is education, not revolution. Slowly the people will have to set down all the items in the ledger of common sense that passes from sire to son. By and by some generation will strike a bal ance. That may not come in hun dred yeaEs. Soon or late the major ity of the people will reach a reckon ing with John Barleycorn. If there's too much against him they will act. You might as well try to stop a gla- cier by building a dam in front of it. They have opened an account with slavery, too. By and by they'll de, eide its fate"
 Such was his faith in the common folk of America whose way of learn ing and whose love of the right he knew as no man has known 1t
 In this connection the New Eng lander wrote In his diary:
 He has spent his boyhood in the South and his young manhood in the North. He has studied the East and lived in the West. He Is the people I sometimes think-and about as slow to make up his mind. AS Isaiah says: He does not judge after the sight of his eyes neither reprove after the hear ing of his ears.' Abe has toathink about it"S
 In April Abe wrote another address to the voters announcing that he was again a candidate for a seat in the legislature. Late that month Harry walked with him to Pappsville where a crowd had assembled to attend a public sale. At one place there were men In the crowd who knew Harry's record in the war. They called on him for a speech. He spoke on the need of the means of transportation in Sangamon county with such insight and dignity and convincing candor that both Abe and the audience hailed him as a coming man. Abe and he were often seen together those days.
 In New Salem they were called the disappointed lovers. It was known there that Abe was very fond of Ann Rutledge, although he had not, as yet, openly confessed to any one-not even to Ann-there being no show of. hope for him. Ann was deeply in love with John McNeil-the genial, handsome and successful young Irishman. The affair had reached the stage of frank ness, of an open discussion of plans, of fond affection expressing itself In caresses quite indifferent to ridicule.
 For Ann it had been like warm sum- light on the growing rose. She was heater in dress, lovelier in form and color, more graceful In movement and sweeter-voiced than ever she had been. It Is the old way that Nature has of preparing the young to come out upon the stage of real life and to act in Its moving scenes. Abe manfully gave them his best wishes and when he spoke of Ann 1t was done very ten derly. The look of sadness, which all had noted in his moments of abstrac- tion, deepened and often covered his face with Its veil. That is another way that Nature has of preparing the young. For these the roses have fallen and only the thorns remain. They are not lured; they seem to be driven to their tasks, but for all, soon or late, her method changes.
 On a beautiful morning of June, 1884, John McNeil left the village. Abe Lincoln and Harry and Samson and Sarah and Jack Kelso and his wife stood with the Rutledges in the dooryard of the tavern when he rode away. He was going back to his home in the East to return in the au- tumn and make Ann his bride. The girl wept as if her heart would break