Extra Credit Questions

[David Lockmiller]

You did not dream this, Laurie.

The following is from pp. 188-189 of Lincoln's Sons by Ruth Painter Randall:

"One incident was told by the comedian John T. Raymond, who took park in the play involved, a burlesque called Pocahontas. In those days, when the soldiers caught a pickpocket, they would placard him – ‘This is a pickpocket’–and make him walk along the streets of Washington to the tune of the ‘Rogue’s March.’ The play burlesqued such a scene. Tad had come with his father to see Pocahontas and went backstage as usual. The actor said he was a jolly little fellow; everybody liked him,’ and someone had the bright idea of dressing him in a very ragged outfit and sending him on the stage with a mob in one of the scenes. Mr. Lincoln, sitting unnoticed in his box, suddenly saw Tad and broke into a hearty laugh. He threw up his hands in a mock gesture of dismay and then let one hand drop over the side of the box. The audience, hitherto unaware of the President’s presence, recognized that long, bony hand, for ‘there was no hand in the world like Mr. Lincoln’s.’ They set up a shout for him and he had to come to the front of the box and make a bow. When Tad returned, his father threw his arms around him in delight. ‘The pleasure, the affection of the father was so intense, so spontaneous…it was glorious to see him."

Wonderful story, Roger.

I was just thinking this morning about something I read recently about Nicolay. Hay and Nicolay referred to Mary as the "Hellcat." But when Nicolay tried to complain to Lincoln about Mary, Lincoln cut him off. (See "Team of Rivals" at page 705.)

My thinking on this is that Mary was not going to change. The danger of complaining about Mary to Mary had the potential of severely disrupting the family relationship that gave Lincoln pleasure as exemplified by your story.