"Abe" Lincoln's Anecdotes and Stories: A Collection of the Best Stories Told by Lincoln Which Made Him Famous as America's Best Story Teller
History
"Abe" Lincoln's Anecdotes and Stories: A Collection of the Best Stories Told by Lincoln Which Made Him Famous as America's Best Story Teller
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Anecdotes
"Mr. Lincoln emerged from the front door, his lank figure bent over
as he drew tightly about his shoulders the shawl which he employed
for such protection; for he was on his way to the War Department, at
the west corner of the grounds, where in times of battle he was wont
to get the midnight dispatches from the field. As the blast struck
him he thought of the numbness of the pacing sentry, and, turning to
him, said: 'Young man, you've got a cold job tonight; step inside, and
stand guard there.'
"'My orders keep me out here,' the soldier replied.
"'Yes,' said the President, in his argumentative tone; 'but your duty
can be performed just as well inside as out here, and you'll oblige me
by going in.'
"'I have been stationed outside,' the soldier answered, and resumed
his beat.
"'Hold on there!' said Mr. Lincoln, as he turned back again; 'it
occurs to me that I am Commander-in-Chief of the army, and I order you
to go inside.'"
="WUZ GOIN' TER BE 'HITCHED'"=
"Abe's" nephew--or one of them--related a story in connection with
Lincoln's first love (Anne Rutledge), and his subsequent marriage
to Miss Mary Todd. This nephew was a plain, every-day farmer, and
thought everything of his uncle, whose greatness he quite thoroughly
appreciated, although he did not pose to any extreme as the relative
of a President of the United States.
Said he one day, in telling his story:
"Us child'en, w'en we heerd Uncle 'Abe' wuz a-goin' to be married,
axed Gran'ma ef Uncle 'Abe' never hed a gal afore, an' she says, sez
she, 'Well, "Abe" wuz never a han' nohow to run 'round visitin' much,
or go with the gals, neither, but he did fall in love with a Anne
Rutledge, who lived out near Springfield, an' after she died he'd come
home an' ev'ry time he'd talk 'bout her, he cried dreadful. He never
could talk of her nohow 'thout he'd jes' cry an' cry, like a young
feller.'
"Onct he tol' Gran'ma they wuz goin; ter be hitched, they havin'
promised each other, an' thet is all we ever heered 'bout it. But,
so it wuz, that arter Uncle 'Abe' hed got over his mournin', he wuz
married ter a woman w'ich hed lived down in Kentuck.
"Uncle 'Abe' hisself tol' us he wuz married the nex' time he come up
ter our place, an' w'en we ast him why he didn't bring his wife up to
see us, he said: 'She's very busy and can't come.'
"But we knowed better'n that. He wuz too proud to bring her up, 'cause
nothin' would suit her, nohow. She wuzn't raised the way we wuz, an'
wuz different from us, and we heerd, tu, she wuz as proud as cud be.
"No, an' he never brought none uv the child'en, neither.
"But then, Uncle 'Abe,' he wuzn't to blame. We never thought he wuz
stuck up."
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes
Minor punctuation errors have been silently corrected.
Page 92: Changed "Lincon" to "Lincoln."
(Orig: Lincon said: "This is a perversion of the facts.)
Page 93: Changed "yoice" to "voice."
(Orig: his voice thrilled and his whole frame shook)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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