Abraham Lincoln in his Times Chapter 22 Union, Tragedy, and Legacy Part 4

Abraham Lincoln in his Times Chapter 22 Union, Tragedy, and Legacy Part 4

The Lincolns had caused a stir when they entered the theater. When the president appeared in his box, an actor onstage ad-libbed, “This reminds me of a story, as President Lincoln would say.” The orchestra broke out with a rousing “Hail to the Chief.” Lincoln smiled and bowed as the audience stood and cheered. He then settled into the velvet-covered rocking chair that the theater manager had put there for him. To his right was Mary, and beyond her sat Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone. Our American Cousin , which Lincoln had seen before, was the sort of frothy fare he enjoyed when he wanted to forget everything. He and Mary laughed their way through the silly confrontations between the play’s crude Vermonter and his snooty British relatives. Mary leaned close to Lincoln and whispered, “What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?” He replied with a smile, “She won’t think anything about it.” 82 They were being watched. John Wilkes Booth, spiked with whiskey, had entered the theat…