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"FIXED UP" A BIT FOR THE "CITY FOLKS."
Mrs. Lincoln knew her husband was not "pretty," but she liked to have
him presentable when he appeared before the public. Stephen Fiske, in
"When Lincoln Was First Inaugurated," tells of Mrs. Lincoln's anxiety
to have the President-elect "smoothed down" a little when receiving a
delegation that was to greet them upon reaching New York City.
"The train stopped," writes Mr. Fiske, "and through the windows immense
crowds could be seen; the cheering drowning the blowing off of steam of
the locomotive. Then Mrs. Lincoln opened her handbag and said:
"'Abraham, I must fix you up a bit for these city folks.'
"Mr. Lincoln gently lifted her upon the seat before him; she parted,
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 the other New
York officials."
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Stories and Anecdotes About the Life of Abraham Lincoln
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