A Man for the Ages: A Story of the Builders of DemocracyBacheller, Irving
General
A Man for the Ages: A Story of the Builders of Democracy
Bacheller, Irving
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Fiction
"It seems to me that you are the only one in the world worth having,"
said Abe.
"If you want me to, I will marry you, Abe," said she. "I can not say that
I love you, but my mother and father say that I would learn to love you,
and sometimes I think it is true. I really want to love you."
They were on the bluff that overlooked the river and the deserted mill.
They were quite alone looking down at the moonlit plains. A broken sigh
came from the lips of the tall young man. He wiped his eyes with his
handkerchief. He took her hand in both of his and pressed it against his
breast and looked down into her face and said:
"I wish I could tell you what is in my heart. There are things this
tongue of mine could say, but not that. I shall show you, but I shall
not try to tell you. Words are good enough for politics and even for the
religion of most men, but not for this love I feel. Only in my life shall
I try to express it."
He held her hand as they walked on in silence for a moment.
"About a year from now we can be married," he said. "I shall be able to
take care of you then, I think. Meanwhile we will all help you to take
care of yourself. You don't look well."
She kissed his cheek and he kissed hers when they parted at the door of
the tavern.
"I am sure I shall love you," she whispered.
"Those are the best words that ever came to my ears," he answered, and
left her with a solemn sense of his commitment.
Soon after that Abe went to the north line of the county to do some
surveying, and on his return, in the last week of May, came out for a
talk with the Traylors.
"I've been up to the Kelsos' home and had a wonderful talk with him and
Brimstead," said Abe. "They have discovered each other. Kelso lives in a
glorious past and Brimstead in a golden future. They're both poets. Kelso
is translating the odes of Pindar. Brimstead is constructing the future
of Illinois. They laugh at each other and so create a fairly agreeable
present."
"Did you see Annabel?" Harry asked.
"About sixty times a minute while I was there. So pretty you can't help
looking at her. She's coming down to visit Ann, I hope. If you don't see
her every day she's here, I shall lose my good opinion of you. It will be
a sure sign that your eyes don't know how, to enjoy themselves."
"We shall all see her and fall in love with her, too, probably," said
Sarah.
"She's made on the right pattern of the best material," Abe went on.
"She's full of fun and I thought it would be a great thing for Ann. She
hasn't had any one to play with of her own age and standing since Bim
went away. I was thinking of Harry, too. He needs somebody to play with."
"Much obliged!" the young man exclaimed. "I was thinking that I'd have to
take a trip to Hopedale, myself."
"I knew he'd come around," Sarah laughed.
But all unknown to these good people, the divinities were at that moment
very busy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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