As it drew near I saw what was
presumably a mortally wounded man lying on the bow of the boat. His
shirt appeared to be bathed in blood. I distinguished Jacob Smith, a
constable, fanning the supposed victim vigorously. The people on the
bank held their breath in suspense, and guesses were freely made as
to which of the two men had been so terribly wounded. But suspense was
soon turned to chagrin and relief when it transpired that the supposed
candidate for another world was nothing more nor less than a log
covered with a red shirt. This ruse had been resorted to in order to
fool the people on the levee; and it worked to perfection. Lincoln
and Shields came off the boat together, chatting in a nonchalant and
pleasant manner."
MARRIAGE OF LINCOLN AND MISS TODD.
The Lincoln-Shields duel had so many farcical features, and Miss Todd
had unwittingly been so much to blame for it, that one can easily see
that it might have had considerable influence on the relations of the
two young people. However that may be, something had made Mr. Lincoln
feel that he could renew his engagement. Early in October, not a
fortnight after the duel, he wrote Speed: "You have now been the
husband of a lovely woman nearly eight months. That you are happier
now than the day you married her I well know, for without you would
not be living.
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