One good way to learn about a man and what he is actually like is to
talk about him with his friends. One of Lincoln’s close friends at
Chatham on the Cape was John Emery, owner and proprietor of the famous
“Swinging Basket” Gift Shop, located opposite the Post Office. It was
in the house now owned by Mr. Emery and which houses the gift shop
that Lincoln wrote his book, “Mary Gusta”. As has already been stated,
Lincoln was fond of fishing, according to Mr. Emery, and spent much of
his time at Cliff Pond and Long Pond in Plymouth fishing for black bass.
Lincoln was very cordial and enjoyed meeting the public although he was
said to be somewhat retiring at times. This was possibly due to his
creative make-up. However, that is purely speculation.
In an interview by your writer with Mr. Emery in 1947 in regard to his
association with Joe Lincoln, Emery recalled the following account of a
trip they once took together along the coast of Maine. The story will
serve to record Lincoln’s comparison with the Maine coast to that of
Cape Cod’s flat sandy shores. The story is in Mr. Emery’s own words:
“He and I had gone down the whole coast line from New York harbor
to Mt. Desert, taking side roads all the way down, Kennebunk, Cape
Porpoise, Harpswell, Baileys and Orrs Island; Pemaquid, Boothbay,
Newagenport, Clyde, Christmas Cove, all the points that made out from
the mainland as far as Rockland.
“From there we went to Bar Harbor and North East Harbor and in the late
afternoon we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain.
“We had beautiful weather all the way, clear as a bell and the view
from the top of the mountain was really something.
“I am and always have been overly fond of Maine,” said Mr. Emery, “both
the woods and the shore and Joe remarked on my enthusiasm and asked if
I liked Maine more than I did the Cape.
“That was a poser which could not very well be answered with a yes or
no--I would rather live on the Cape but as the Maine coast, like that
of the Cape, has also many beautiful harbors and villages, it was hard
for me to reply.
“Pointing to the distant mountains and the islands that appeared almost
under our feet I asked if he didn’t feel that I was at least partly
right.
“Joe said ‘yes, to a certain extent you are, but I still prefer Cape
Cod.’
“Naturally he would, but to get his reaction I asked him to make a
comparison of the two places and this as well as I can remember was his
reply:
“‘After seeing all that we have seen I am convinced that this really
is a young man’s coast. The ruggedness and the abruptness of the tide,
even on calm days, means but one thing, and that is that it would take
a young man’s heart and muscles to fight it.’
“‘These seas even on comparatively calm days are to a certain extent,
vicious, far different to the seas at home.’
“‘The tremendous power of the seas are more evident to us here due to
the fact that there are no outer bars to break their force before they
strike the rocky shore.’
“‘If a ship is caught on a lee shore here and is lifted up and dropped
on the rocks, that is all that there is to it, while at the Cape there
is a chance to either get to the ship or shoot a line out to her.’
“‘There is a constant motion of the tides here--there doesn’t seem any
slack period.’ (Here he was referring to the constant surging of the
rockweed which we noted at the Gurnet Bridge on the way to Baileys
Island and also at Pemaquid--a constant heaving back and forth while
the surface showed no sign of a ripple.)
“‘I will grant you that for sheer beauty I know of no coast that could
beat it but it is rough and boisterous and yes, demanding and after a
man reached a certain age I really believe it would be tiring,’ Lincoln
continued.
“‘Even a young man would grow old quickly fighting these tides and seas
day in and day out--you can see it in the faces of the fishermen we
have met.’
“‘Take it all in all, for the year in and year out,’ said Joe, ‘I am of
the opinion that Cape Cod is preferable to the Maine coast.’
“‘I like the ocean in the summer,’ Lincoln went on. ‘It is quiet a
great part of the time on the Cape, seldom really boisterous and the
soft blue on a summer’s day is really something to remember.’
“‘I like the Cape marshes with their different greens, the cranberry
bogs with their lavender shades, the stillness of the woods when you
ride through at night, the beauty of Cape ponds and lakes, of which we
have so many.’
“‘There is a serenity of life there, particularly in the Fall of the
year, that would be hard to duplicate--a quietness that is appreciated
more and more as we grow older and a friendliness that is nurtured by
the peaceful surroundings. I love Cape Cod.’”
And so Joe Lincoln expressed his feelings for the Cape as an answer to
the query of his friend, John Emery.