Now fare thee well!  More thou the cause
   Than subject now of woe. 
   All mental pangs by time’s kind laws
   Hast lost the power to know.

   O Death! thou awe-inspiring prince
   That keepst the world in fear,
   Why dost thou tear more blest ones hence,
   And leave him lingering here?

SECOND CHILD

TO JOSHUA P. SPEED

Springfield, October 22, 1846.

Dear speed:—­You, no doubt, assign the suspension of our correspondence to the true philosophic cause; though it must be confessed by both of us that this is rather a cold reason for allowing a friendship such as ours to die out by degrees.  I propose now that, upon receipt of this, you shall be considered in my debt, and under obligations to pay soon, and that neither shall remain long in arrears hereafter.  Are you agreed?

Being elected to Congress, though I am very grateful to our friends for having done it, has not pleased me as much as I expected.

We have another boy, born the 10th of March.  He is very much such a child as Bob was at his age, rather of a longer order.  Bob is “short and low,” and I expect always will be.  He talks very plainly,—­almost as plainly as anybody.  He is quite smart enough.  I sometimes fear that he is one of the little rare-ripe sort that are smarter at about five than ever after.  He has a great deal of that sort of mischief that is the offspring of such animal spirits.  Since I began this letter, a messenger came to tell me Bob was lost; but by the time I reached the house his mother had found him and had him whipped, and by now, very likely, he is run away again.  Mary has read your letter, and wishes to be remembered to Mrs. Speed and you, in which I most sincerely join her.

As ever yours,
A. Lincoln.

TO MORRIS AND BROWN

Springfield, October 21, 1847. 
Messrs.  Morris and Brown.

Gentlemen:—­Your second letter on the matter of Thornton and others, came to hand this morning.  I went at once to see Logan, and found that he is not engaged against you, and that he has so sent you word by Mr. Butterfield, as he says.  He says that some time ago, a young man (who he knows not) came to him, with a copy of the affidavit, to engage him to aid in getting the Governor to grant the warrant; and that he, Logan, told the man, that in his opinion, the affidavit was clearly insufficient, upon which the young man left, without making any engagement with him.  If the Governor shall arrive before I leave, Logan and I will both attend to the matter, and he will attend to it, if he does not come till after I leave; all upon the condition that the Governor shall not have acted upon the matter, before his arrival here.  I mention this condition because, I learned