How Reliable Is This?

[LincolnToddFan]

AL's hair was exposed to a comb and brush when Mary had anything to say about it. Here is an incident witnessed by a reporter from the "New York Herald" on the train ride en route from Springfield to Washington for Lincoln's Inaugural swearing in:

"...The train stopped; through the windows immense crowds could be seen; the cheering drowned the blowing off steam of the locomotive. Then Mrs. Lincoln opened her hand bag and said:

" 'Abram, I must fix you up a bit for these city folks'.

"Mr. Lincoln gently lifted her upon the seat before him; she parted and combed and brushed his hair and arranged his black necktie.

" 'Do I look nice now, mother?' he affectionately asked.

" 'Well, you'll do Abraham' replied Mrs. Lincoln critically. So he kissed her and lifted her down from the seat, and turned to meet Mayor Wood, courtly and suave, and to have his hand shaken by all the other New York officials".//

quoted from "Lincoln Among His Friends", auth. Rufus Rockwell Wilson pgs #304-305