tary of Stateship for
Illinois. What an absurd thing for a lawyer to do! His career is so
changeable, so flashy. He leaves himself open to the charge of scheming,
grabbing, all sorts of things, though all the while he may be doing the
best he can. Forgive my opinions, I love to express them to you. I look
upon you as a fresh mind who can value the truth of things about it.
Douglas may become a very great figure; but I can't help but believe
that his restless life may bring him to disaster. Let us hope it won't.
Meantime I wish for happiness for you. Your letters are very interesting
and I am always glad to get them. Write me as often as you can, give me
pictures of your life, the people. And do move to Chicago. Your friend,
Abigail."

I read this letter over more than once with reference to its
characterization of Douglas. I could not share her opinions. Why could
she not see that Douglas had always done his best? After all, what of
the law? Douglas could not be patient with the rules that related to a
land title while his thoughts were far afield in plans for the
territorial greatness of his country. Meantime he had to earn his bread.
He had never stooped to dishonor, to chicanery. He had caught at the
driftwood of supporting offices in his swimming of the new stream of
primitive life. He was poor. He had enemies. His eye was upon an
eminence. He had to make the best of the materials at hand.

I understood Douglas' difficulties because I had had difficulties of my
own. I had not faced the world with poverty. But I had faced it with
Zoe. I had not battled in issues which were influenced by the negro, but
I had a social experience which Zoe had made and complicated for me. If
Douglas was now in an office that belittled him, I was sorry, for I was
his friend in all loyalty.

CHAPTER XXVIII

Scarcely had Douglas settled as Secretary of State, when he resigned the
office to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Abigail wrote
me a most amusing and ironical letter on this sudden shift of his
activities. "What do you think now?" was her query. "I think he is as
well fitted to be judge as to be Secretary of State, which is not at
all."

When I wrote to Abigail I had news to tell her with reference to the
farm. I believed I had found a purchaser in Springfield; and my trading
talks with Washburton, for that was his name, had taken me over there a
number of times. On one of these occasions I saw Douglas.