Lincoln was fond of going all by himself to any little show or concert.
He would often slip away from his fellow-lawyers and spend the entire
evening at a little magic lantern show intended for children.
A traveling concert company was always sure of drawing Lincoln. A Mrs.
Hillis, a member of the “Newhall Family,” and a good singer, was the
only woman who ever seemed to exhibit any liking for him--so Lincoln
said. He attended a negro-minstrel show in Chicago, once, where he heard
Dixie sung. It was entirely new, and pleased him greatly.
“MIXING” AND “MINGLING.”
An Eastern newspaper writer told how Lincoln, after his first
nomination, received callers, the majority of them at his law office:
“While talking to two or three gentlemen and standing up, a very hard
looking customer rolled in and tumbled into the only vacant chair and
the one lately occupied by Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln’s keen eye took in
the fact, but gave no evidence of the notice.
“Turning around at last he spoke to the odd specimen, holding out his
hand at such a distance that our friend had to vacate the chair if he
accepted the proffered shake. Mr. Lincoln quietly resumed his chair.
“It was a small matter, yet one giving proof more positively than a
larger event of that peculiar way the man has of mingling with a mixed
crowd.”