Lincoln, the unknown

LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN•73Mrs. Lincoln from an adjoining room witnessed theHer indignation was so instantaneous she madesituation exceedingly interesting for him, and he wasladies' entrance, and overheard her husband's jocose expression.theglad to retreat from the mansion. He did not return untilvery late at night, and then slipped quietly in at a rear door.Mrs. Lincoln was violently jealous, and she had little use forJoshua Speed. He had been her husband's intimate friend, andshe suspected that he might have influenced Lincoln to runaway from his wedding. Before his marriage, Lincoln had beenin the habit of ending his letters to Speed with "Love to Fanny."But, after the marriage, Mrs. Lincoln demanded that that greetingbe tempered down to "Regards to Mrs. Speed."Lincoln never forgot a favor. That was one of his outstandingcharacteristics; so, as a little gesture of appreciation, he hadpromised that the firstshe burst out in a storm. Itboy would be named Joshua Speed Lincoln.But when Mary Todd heard itwas her child, and she was going to name it! And, what wasmore, the name was not going to be Joshua Speed! It was goingto be Robert Todd, after her own father . . . and so on andso on.It is hardly necessary to add that the boy was namedRobert Todd. He was the only one of the four Lincoln childrento reach maturity. Eddie died in 1850 at Springfield—age 4. Willie died in the White House—age 12. Tad diedin Chicago in 1871—age 18. Robert Todd Lincoln died inManchester, Vermont, July 26, 1926—age 83.Mrs. Lincoln complained because the yard was without flowers,shrubs, or color. So Lincoln set out a few roses, but he tookno interest in them and they soon perished of neglect. She urgedhim to plant a garden, and one spring he did, but the weedsoverran it.Though he was not much given to physical exertion, he didfeed and curry "Old Buck"; he also "fed and milked his owncow and sawed his own wood." And he continued to do this,even after he was elected President, until he left Springfield.However, John Hanks, Lincoln's second cousin, once remarkedthat "Abe was not good at any kind of work exceptdreamin'." And Mary Lincoln agreed with him.