Renfrew's Record (Alva, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, February 11, 1916 Page: 2 of 10
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■ -
fpHIS great man loved three
V women at different periods.
The first died. The second
L rejected his proposal. The ,
\ third he married. His /
\ biographers say he /
was a queer f
X. lover. S
RENFREW'S RECORD. ALVA, OKLAHOMA
[scorns tilts wrm
V V V O'VJPTT) ^ V V V v
One of the
President’s Few
Smiling Moods
BRAI1AM LINCOLN was a lover,
but he was an unusual lover Just
as he was unusual In every other
way. His first recorded uffalr of
the heart, an emotion deeper than
the calf love of half-grown youth,
came when he was twenty-two
years old and clerking in a store
at New Salem, 111. Ann Rutledge, tavernkeeper'a
daughter, was the girl.
The second afTalr came when he was about
twenty-six. It began as a Joke, after Lincoln had
become a lawyer and was practicing at Spring-
field, but It caused him untold worry—becauib
the girl, Mary Owens, was fat and he didn't
want to marry her. The third affair "took.”
That Is, Mary Todd became Abraham Lincoln's
wife, when he was thirty-three years old.
. When he was a youth in the wilds of southern
Indiana, Lincoln had his sentimental vaporlngs,
one of which appealed so Btrongly to his sense of
romance that he wanted to write a story about
It. This vaporing was the kind most of us have
along about the time the down on our upper lip
begins to toughen.
’ It Ib doubtful if Ann Rutledge ev ir loved Lin-
coln. She simply appreciated Ills sympathy amt
affection -she bad been Jilted by Jameu McNeill,
who tired of her and went Hast to escape his
obligation. Her father, James Rutledge, one of
the founders of New Salem, kept a tavern, amt
there Lincoln went to hoard when in 18:! i he left
his home and became clerk In a store there.
At breakfast, dinner and supper he sat by the
side of the tavernkeeper's daughter. He was
twenty-two; she was less than twenty. She was
sad of heart and he tried to cheer her. Lincoln's
sympathy ripened into deep affection, but the girl
was faithful for more than a year to the memory
of McNeill.
Even If the girl had been willing. Lincoln was
In no position to marry. He was very poor. He
was one of the first to volunteer in the Black
Hawk war. When the war was ended he re-
turned to New Salem, ran for the legislature
and was defeated. His financial condition was so
muddled at this time that he seriously content
plated becoming a blacksmith In order to make a
living. An opportunity came to him to get an in
teresi in a sto/e without putting up any real
money He was a wretched storekeeper and his
partner was no better. The business did not
flourish, but his courtship did. He and Ann Rut-
ledge sat at night on the tavern steps or walked
along the roads around the little settlement.
They were young and youth Is the age of glamour.
Lincoln was beginning to think of a career as a
lawyer, lie believed he would bo able In a year
or two to support a wife. Atm could not forgot
McNeill, hut the devotion of Lincoln prevailed
and she consented to marry him.
The summer of their engagement was the hap-
piest. perhaps, in all of Lincoln's life. Ann Rut-
ledge was beautiful in face and figure and charm-
ing In every way. She was not tall and was
rather delicate. At times when she would be-
come a little weury, Lincoln, whose strength was
unusual, delighted In taking her up iti his arms
and carrying her as If she were a child.
With their engagement everything seemed to
brighten for Lincoln He was appointed post-
master, he began to make a little money doing
survey work, nnd In the fall he was elected to
the legislature.
The young couple decided to get married in
the spring Ann. anxious to complete her educa-
tion, decided to go to Jacksonville to attend an
academy there during the winter. Meanwhile,
Lincoln went to Springfield to attend the session
of Ihc legislature, continue his Inw studies and
prepare for tits admission to the bar In the spring.
lie was in Springfield when he got a message
that nearly broke Ills heart. Ann Rutledge was
dead At tiie academy she contracted a fever
and died in a few clays Lincoln was predisposed
to melancholia. The death of the woman he loved
so much almost upset his reason. He never fully
recovered from his grief.
Ann Rutledge had been dead two or three years
wlii'n Lincoln became engaged again In Spring-
field there lived a Mrs Able, with whom be was
well acquainted. She hnd a sister, Mary Owens
of Kentucky, who visited Springfield for u short
time nnd to whom Lincoln hail been Introduced.
Mary Owens was bright, clever and buxom. She
returned to Kentucky anil Lincoln probably forgot
her. Rut one day Mrs. Able informed him that
she was going to Kentucky and then, in u spirit
of bonier, she said to Lincoln:
Mrs. Lincoln
Dressed for the
First Inaugural
Ceremonies
“I’ll bring Mary back if you'll agree to marry
her.”
"Marry her? I’d be delighted,” said Lincoln.
Mrs. Able went away and a month or so later
she was in Springfield again and she had her
sister with her.
Lincoln went to call. When he saw Mary
Owens he gasped. The girl had grown enor-
mously. She hat’ become outrageously fat.
"Well. I've brought her back for you to marry
according to promise,” said Mrs. Able.
She was Joking, but Lincoln wasn’t sure wheth-
er It was a jest or whether she was serious
and was cloaking her feelings in the light man-
ner In which she spoke. He called regularly upon
Miss Owens and paid to her all the attention he
thought an engaged man should. It was not
pleasant, however, for she was enormous in size.
To make (he situation still more absurd, he was
very tall and very thin. The contrast between
the two was enough to uake any person smile,
no matter how gloomy he might he.
Lincoln worried greatly ovei the situation. He
felt that lie was In honor bound to marry the
lady, but he dreaded (he taking of such ; step.
But while Lincoln hnd due regard for the
sanctity of his promise, Implied or otherwise, he
tried hard to make Miss Owens understand thnt
lie v.-as not a desirable partner for life. He wrote
to her some of the queerest love letters that per-
haps any man ever penned. He told her over and
over again what a miserable life she would liavo
with him. In one of them he said:
"I am afraid you would not be satisfied. There
is a great deal of nourishing about in carriages
here in Springfield, which It would he your doom
to see without sharing. You would have to be
poor without the me-ans of hiding your poverty.
Do you believe you could bear that patiently?"
Another time he wrote to her:
"1 know 1 should be much happier with you
than the way 1 am, provided 1 saw no signs of
discontent in you. What you have said to nu<
may hnve hern in the way of jest, or 1 may have
misunderstood it. If so, then let it be forgotten,
if otherwise. I wish you would think seriously
before you decide. What 1 have said I would
most positively abide by, provided you wish i'.
My opinion is that you hail better not do it. You
have not been accustomed to hardship and it
may he more serious than you now imagine. I
know you are capable of thinking concretely on
any subject anil If you deliberate maturely upon
this before you decide, (hen I am willing to abide
your deilsion.”
Lovers’ Tears snd Quarrels.
Evidently Miss Owens had some spirit She
sent a reply to one of his letters that stunned
him. She rejected him incontinently, and she
piqued his pride in doing It. for she told him that
he was "deficient in those links which make up
the chain of a woman's happiness."
You would not think of Lincoln as a dancing
man, yet he did at times indulge In that pastime.
There are some records extant in proof of this.
They take the form of cotillion notices printed
at the time h" was thirty years old and a little
before his meeting with Mary Todil.
Like Mary Owens, Mary Todd was a Ken-
tuckian. and. like Mary Owens, she had « sister
LINCOLN'S TRUE KINDLINESS.
Mrs. Amanda Kuhn died some months ago in
Philadelphia at the ajfe of eighty-four. During
the Civil war her husband was wounded and she
went to the hospital at Wnahlngton with her only
liaby to nurse him. He recovered, but she stayed
to nurse others. There Lincoln saw her anil was
deeply impressed with the woman’* devotion to
the needs of the injured. Her baby attracted him.
and, realizing thnt the child was a burden and
anxiety to the loyal nurse, he arrunged for Its
i are in Hie White House while the mother was
busy in the hospital. That was like him. It is
merely another story of the many that murk
Lincoln as the biggest man the modern world bus
known.
SOILS ADAPTED FOR GROWING ALFALFA |
In Springfield. Her sister was the wife of NInlan
W. Edwards, one of the most prominent men cf
Springfield. Miss Todd was bright, witty, highly
educated, ambitious, and at once became the
belle of Springfield. Pew young women have had
more great men suitors for their hand than had
Miss Todd within one month of her arrival.
Among those who paid ardent attention to her
were Stephen A. Douglas, James Shields, who
later was senator from three states and who
made a glorious record In three wars; Abraham
Lincoln, and a dozen others.
The Edwards family protested against Miss
Todd's partiality for Lincoln. They thought his
family was plebeian; they thought, too. he was
too grave a man. But Miss Todd loved Lincoln
and they became engaged.
They were not altogether happy In their en-
gagement.. Miss Todd was jealous and exacting.
She loved balls and parties, frivolities of all sorts
that are so dear to women. Lincoln did not care
much for those things and was shockingly
thoughtless and inattentive for an engaged man.
When there was some merrymaking, if he didn't
want to go, he didn't think she’d care. She, how-
ever, thought It a slight. She complained that
he neglected her. Then, to make him feel bad
about It, she would go with Shields or with
Dougins. There were tears, reproaches, quar-
rels. They would make up and fall out again.
All this had a very bad effect upon Lincoln. He
became extremely morbid. He began to search
his soul to answer the question as to whether or
not he would make the woman's life unhappy.
They were to have been married on January 1,
1842. Something happened and the wedding did
not take place There was a story, which was
credited to W. H. Herndon, that Lincoln failed
to appear, but this has been pronounced untrue
by those who ought to know. It is more likely
that one of their many quarrels led to the break
bet ween them.
Some of Lincoln's letters written about this
time disclose his sufferings. In one of them he
says:
"1 am now the most miserable man living. If
what I feel were equally distributed to the whole
human family there would not be one cheerful
face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better
I cannot tell. 1 fear I shall not To remain as
1 am is Impossible.”
Reconciliation and Marriage.
One of his friends in Kentucky invited him
there In the hope of cheering him up. He had n
hard time arousing Lincoln from his melancholia,
but he finally succeeded in a manner he never
expected. The friend fell In love himself and
began to feel qualmish as to whether he would
make his beloved happy. He became so miser-
able over his doubt In this regard that Lincoln
tried to cheer him up, and in trying to cheer his
friend. Lincoln cheered up himself.
When Lincoln returned to Illinois he was
much better. He and Miss Todd met and there
was a reconciliation.
On November 4, following. Lincoln and Mary
Todd were married. While the marriage cere-
mony was being performed one of the greatest
storms In the hlRtory of Springfield was raging.
"Did you ever write out a story In your mind?*'
Lincoln once asked a friend. "I did when I wus
a young fellow. One day a wagon with a lady
and two girls and a man broke down near ua, and
while they were fixing up they cooked tn our
kitchen. The woman had books and read us
stories, and they were the first of the kind I ever
had heard. I took n great fancy to one of the
girls, and when they were gooo 1 thought of her
a great deal, nnd one day when I was sitting out
in the sun by the house I wrote out a story in
ray mind.
"1 thought I took my father's horse and fol-
lowed the wagon, and finally I found It, and
they wore surprised to see me. 1 talked with the
girl and persuad'd her to elope with me; and
that night I put bvr on the horse and we started
off across Ihe prair.e. After several hours we
came to a camp, und wtien we rode up we found
It was the onj we had left a few hours before,
nnd we went In.
"The nr:H night we tried again, and the same
thing happened—the horse came back to the
same place; and then we concluded that we
ought not lo elope. 1 stayed until I had per-
suaded her lather to give her to me. I always
meant to wtlte that story out and’ publish It,
nnd I began once, but 1 concluded It was not
ninth of a story. Hut I think that was the ho
vlnuins of love with me.”
Strong, Healthy Young Alfalfa Plant*—Seed Sowed August 23, Plants Pho-
tographed May 10—Note Nodulea on Roots.
(By J. T. BARLOW, New Mexico College
of Agriculture.)
Although it Is true, as most farmers
know, that alfalfa will grow and pro-
duce fairly profitable crops on almost
any kind of soil, It is equally true that
certain soils are much better adapted
for growing alfalfa than others. In-
stead of trying to adapt our soils to a
particular crop, we should more often,
if possible, try to adapt our crops to
the soils that we have.
In selecting a suitable soil for a pro
posed alfalfa field we should bear In
mind that alfalfa is a very deep-rooted
crop, it not being uncommon to find
old alfalfa planta with roots 30 feet
or more in length. The alfalfa plant
Is also a very voracious feeder and
requires large amounts of plant food
to produce maximum yields of crops.
Obviously, then, from the above points
the best soil for alfalfa is a very deep,
uniform and fertile soil containing
abundant plant-food material. These
conditions would best be found then
In our heavier sandy loams silt loams,
and very light clay loams.
A soil with too much sand, 1. e„ our
almost pure sands and very light sandy
loams, is not the best for alfalfa be-
cause (1) of the difficulty of getting a
good stand of alfalfa due to the blow-
ing of the sand particles and cutting
off the young plants near the aurtace
of the ground as well as the uproot-
ing of the plants. (2) Sandy soils are
very apt to be lacking in available
plant-food material, particularly nitro-
gen, and especially after a few years'
cropping. (3) Sandy soils do not hold
water well, I. e., they have a low wa-
ter-holding capacity, due to several
factors, two of the most Important of
which are the ease with which the
water percolates away, and secondly
to the usually low content of humus
and organic matter. Other things be-
ing equal, It takes more Irrigation wa-
ter to produce a crop of alfalfa on a
light sandy soil than on one of a heav-
ier nature.
A very heavy clay soil is likewise
not the most suitable for growing al-
falfa, because (1) the roots have much
difficulty in pushing down through the
heavy soil and hence their feeding
area Is restricted; (2) drainage Is poor
in a heavy clay soil and the subsoil
may contain too much water for opti-
mum plant growth; (3) heavy clay
soils are difficult to irrigate, and if
the fields are not leveled properly,
when the irrigation water is applied
it will stand In the low places and tn
all probability kill the young alfalfa
plants.
Another thing to be avoided in se-
lecting an alfalfa soil is an impervi-
ous layer of "hardpan” a few feet be-
low the surface. A layer of hardpan
is liable to cause a waterlogged soil
because It holds water very efficiently
and does not allow downward percola-
tion of the excess irrigation water.
This impervious layer also hinders
root penetration very materially.
Another factor of importance is the
depth of the water table below the
surface. Alfalfa roots cannot live for
any length of time in free water. If
the water table is within a few feet of
the surface, as soon as the alfalfa
roots reach this free water, the plants
begin to lose their vigor and very
soon die. This is due to the fact that
the roots become diseased and decay
in the free water and also because
their feeding powers are restricted to
such a degree that they cannot sur-
vive.
Since alfalfa is usually planted with
the intention of growing the crop on
i the same field for a long period of
I years, the above factors should be
| taken into consideration as much as
j possible in selecting a suitable soil for
our alfalfa field.
SECRET OF KEEPING USE OF LIMEWATER
HENS SUCCESSFULLY IN CLEANING CHURN
Good Ventilation and Dryness Are
Essential for Good Health
of Poultry Flock.
Keeping hens In fresh, reasonably
dry air la one of the secrets of keep-
ing them successfully. In the hen-
house good ventilation and dryness
are so essential that the most skill-
ful breeding, feeding and rearing
cannot make up for their lack. They
are among the fundamentals of good
husbandry wherever hens are kept,
and are very likely to be found to-
gether. At least it is difficult to se-
cure dryness without a generous
amount of fresh air. It has been
estimated by scientists that hens
breathe more air per pound of live
weight than any other class of farm
animals.
Two hundred five-pound hens will
breathe nearly three times as much
air as a cow weighing a thousand
pounds, yet they are kept in closely
crowded sleeping quarters. Every
hen in the flock breatbea out impuri-
ties that are poisonous to the others,
and she breathes in the impurities
given out by them unless there is suf-
ficient ventilation to carry away these
Impurities and furnish fresh air In
their place.
Essential in Butter Making to
See That All the Apparatus
Is Absolutely Clean.
(By E. 8. ANTHONY, Pennsylvania
’ State College.)
After the butter 1b taken from the
churn the latter should be rinsed out
with warm water, and the ringing fol-
lowed by a thorough washing with
very hot water. The rinsing out with
warm water will remove any butter-
milk which may remain In the pores
of the wood. The hot water will re-
move any fat which may be left tn
the churn.
It Is never well to use soap powder*
on the Interior of the churn, but the
occasional use of a email amount of
dairy washing powder or limewater la
beneficial. To keep the churn eweet
and free from odors and taints a small
handful of lime placed in some water
in the churn or in the last rinsing of
the churn Is very effective. It is very
essential In good butter making to see
that all apparatus ueed la absolutely
clean and free from undesirable odors
and taints, as these are quickly ab-
sorbed by the butter.
Starting With Bees.
Plan to start In the bee business
in eariy spring it you own the land
you are working.
Well-Equipped Shop.
A well-equipped farm shop is a
mighty handy thing and a time and
money saver. During the winter days
much repairing Rnd fitting can be
done In a good ahop that will save
many a day's time In the rush of the
aprtngtlme.
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Renfrew, J. P. Renfrew's Record (Alva, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, February 11, 1916, newspaper, February 11, 1916; Alva, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1075868/m1/2/?q=wichita+falls: accessed June 21, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.