Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels

[Eva Elisabeth]

(07-15-2014 10:20 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I also once read the story with Lincoln (literally quoted) excusing himself for being that absent-minded and chatting and laughing with Mary afterwards.

I found what I was thinking of, but I confused it with another account by Emilie Todd Helm: “One evening Bob and I were playing checkers. Mr. Lincoln was looking thoughtfully into the fire and apparently did not hear what Mary was saying. Finally a silence. Mary put down her piece of embroidery and said, ‘your silence is remarkably soothing, Mr. Lincoln, but we are not quite ready for sleep just yet.’ As Mr. Lincoln did not seem to hear, Mary got up and took his hand, ‘I fear my husband has become stone deaf since he left home at noon,’ she said. ‘I believe I have been both deaf and dumb for the last half hour,’ replied Mr. Lincoln, ‘but now you shall not complain’; and he launched into an anecdote of one of his clients which broke up the game of checkers and left us all speechless with laughter."