TO JOHN BENNETT.

Springfield, ill., Aug. 5, 1837. 
John Bennett, Esq.

Dear sir:-Mr. Edwards tells me you wish to know whether the act to which your own incorporation provision was attached passed into a law.  It did.  You can organize under the general incorporation law as soon as you choose.

I also tacked a provision onto a fellow’s bill to authorize the relocation of the road from Salem down to your town, but I am not certain whether or not the bill passed, neither do I suppose I can ascertain before the law will be published, if it is a law.  Bowling Greene, Bennette Abe? and yourself are appointed to make the change.  No news.  No excitement except a little about the election of Monday next.

I suppose, of course, our friend Dr. Heney stands no chance in your diggings.

Your friend and humble servant,
A. Lincoln.

TO MARY OWENS.

Springfield, Aug. 16, 1837

Friend Mary:  You will no doubt think it rather strange that I should write you a letter on the same day on which we parted, and I can only account for it by supposing that seeing you lately makes me think of you more than usual; while at our late meeting we had but few expressions of thoughts.  You must know that I cannot see you, or think of you, with entire indifference; and yet it may be that you are mistaken in regard to what my real feelings toward you are.

If I knew you were not, I should not have troubled you with this letter.  Perhaps any other man would know enough without information; but I consider it my peculiar right to plead ignorance, and your bounden duty to allow the plea.

I want in all cases to do right; and most particularly so in all cases with women.

I want, at this particular time, more than any thing else to do right with you; and if I knew it would be doing right, as I rather suspect it would, to let you alone I would do it.  And, for the purpose of making the matter as plain as possible, I now say that you can drop the subject, dismiss your thoughts (if you ever had any) from me for ever and leave this letter unanswered without calling forth one accusing murmur from me.  And I will even go further and say that, if it will add anything to your comfort or peace of mind to do so, it is my sincere wish that you should.  Do not understand by this that I wish to cut your acquaintance.  I mean no such thing.  What I do wish is that our further acquaintance shall depend upon yourself.  If such further acquaintance would contribute nothing to your happiness, I am sure it would not to mine.  If you feel yourself in any degree bound to me, I am now willing to release you, provided you wish it; while on the other hand I am willing and even anxious to bind you faster if I can be convinced that it will, in any considerable degree, add to your happiness.  This, indeed, is the whole question with me.  Nothing would make me more miserable than to believe you miserable, nothing more happy than to know you were so.