Lincoln's yarns and stories : $b A complete collection of the funny and witty anecdotes that made Lincoln famous as America's greatest story tellerMcClure, Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly)
History
Lincoln's yarns and stories : $b A complete collection of the funny and witty anecdotes that made Lincoln famous as America's greatest story teller
McClure, Alexander K. (Alexander Kelly)
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Anecdotes
“Some were playing on harps, some on viols, and some blowing on rams’
horns.
“Some also were casting dust and ashes toward Heaven, and chief among
them all was Josiah, blowing his bugle and making sounds so great the
neighboring hills and valleys echoed with the resounding acclamation.
“When they had played and their harps had sounded till the grooms and
brides approached the gates, Reuben, the father, met them and welcomed
them to his house.
“The wedding feast being now ready, they were all invited to sit down
and eat, placing the bridegrooms and their brides at each end of the
table.
“Waiters were then appointed to serve and wait on the guests. When all
had eaten and were full and merry, they went out again and played and
sung till night.
“And when they had made an end of feasting and rejoicing the multitude
dispersed, each going to his own home.
“The family then took seats with their waiters to converse while
preparations were being made in two upper chambers for the brides and
grooms.
“This being done, the waiters took the two brides upstairs, placing one
in a room at the right hand of the stairs and the other on the left.
“The waiters came down, and Nancy, the mother, then gave directions to
the waiters of the bridegrooms, and they took them upstairs, but placed
them in the wrong rooms.
“The waiters then all came downstairs.
“But the mother, being fearful of a mistake, made inquiry of the
waiters, and learning the true facts, took the light and sprang
upstairs.
“It came to pass she ran to one of the rooms and exclaimed, ‘O Lord,
Reuben, you are with the wrong wife.’
“The young men, both alarmed at this, ran out with such violence against
each other, they came near knocking each other down.
“The tumult gave evidence to those below that the mistake was certain.
“At last they all came down and had a long conversation about who made
the mistake, but it could not be decided.
“So ended the chapter.”
The original manuscript of “The Chronicles of Reuben” was last in the
possession of Redmond Grigsby, of Rockport, Indiana. A newspaper which
had obtained a copy of the “Chronicles,” sent a reporter to interview
Elizabeth Grigsby, or Aunt Betsy, as she was called, and asked her about
the famous manuscript and the mistake made at the double wedding.
“Yes, they did have a joke on us,” said Aunt Betsy. “They said my man
got into the wrong room and Charles got into my room. But it wasn’t so.
Lincoln just wrote that for mischief. Abe and my man often laughed about
that.”
LIKELY TO DO IT.
An officer, having had some trouble with General Sherman, being very
angry, presented himself before Mr. Lincoln, who was visiting the camp,
and said, “Mr. President, I have a cause of grievance. This morning I
went to General Sherman and he threatened to shoot me.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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