Herndon

“ Transfer of fealty was a common thing. By the terms of Benjin's agreement, Herndon now was a sworn vassal of the Seigneur.
If he killed Krellig, that would violate his bond. If he served the Seigneur in all faith, he would break trust with himself and leave home and parents unavenged. It was an impossible dilemma. He quivered with the strain of resolving it.
"The spacerogue doesn't look happy about the deal," Oversk commented. "Or are you sick, Herndon?"
"I'm all right," Herndon said stonily. "It's the cold outside, that's all. Chills a man." ”

“ Herndon is not a pauper, is not a drunkard; whisky did not ruin him, and, in a word, the whole thing is a lie. Mr. Herndon lives on his farm near this city. He is a great admirer of nature, loves flowers, and spends his whole time on the farm, except when doing his trading, or coming into the city to see his children and grandchildren. He don't drink, he don't chew tobacco, he don't gamble, he is honorable and truthful, and he is highly respected by his fellow-citizens. He is a great reader, a great thinker, loves his neighbors and his neighbors love him. ”

“ Mr. Herndon. I understand, Mr. Ruby, but all of these incidents that you recall are in connection with your operating this club?
Mr. Ruby. Yes; they are at the club. These boys are real bad boys and they all have records, and they’re pretty tough guys. Will you agree with something on that?
Mr. Alexander. That’s right.
Mr. Herndon. Then, on the actual test. I’m going to ask you this question: “Other than what you’ve told me, did you ever hit anyone with any kind of weapon?”
Mr. Ruby. I don’t follow—“Other than what you’ve told me?”
Mr. Herndon. ”

“ Mr. Herndon. What question?
Mr. Ruby. The one about “Have you ever been married?”
Mr. Herndon. Yes, I recall.
Mr. Ruby. Do I sound like a man with an unsound mind to you?
Mr. Herndon. As I said before, Mr. Ruby, I’m not qualified to answer that question.
Mr. Ruby. Oh—oh.
Mr. Herndon. You have been cooperative as far as answering my questions and proceeding with the examination.
(At this point Mr. Specter left the room and shortly thereafter Messrs. Alexander and Tonahill returned to the room.)
548 Mr. Herndon. We can proceed and move pretty fast as soon as Mr. Specter comes back. ”

“ Herndon. Are you comfortable?
Mr. Ruby. You’re not going to ask me any more questions? Do you want to go through that stuff there?
Mr. Herndon. I think I had better wait for Mr. Specter to be here. I don’t want to proceed without him. Can I get you a drink of water?
Mr. Ruby. No. Can we talk about certain things?
Mr. Herndon. I suggest you wait until Mr. Specter returns.
Mr. Ruby. Is there anything on your mind, Bill, off the record?
Mr. Alexander. I think with that Cuban thing cleared up and with an opportunity to answer a question on that——
Mr. Ruby. How about the underworld?
Mr. Alexander. ”

“ If you can spare a thousand stellors to buy a slave you kill the next moment, you can spare me a few words."
"What do you want with me?"
"Your services," Benjin said. "I can use a man like you. Are you free and unbonded?"
Herndon thought of the thousand stellors—almost half his wealth—that he had thrown away just now. He thought of the Seigneur Krellig, whom he hated and whom he had vowed so implacably to kill. And he thought of the wrinkled man before him. ”

“ Another man might have been stirred by the imposing sight; Herndon merely felt an upwelling of anger. Once his family had lived in a palace too: not of this size, to be sure, for the people of Zonnigog were modest and unpretentious in their desires. But it had been a palace all the same, until the armies of Krellig razed it.
He dismounted from his carriage and presented his invitation to the haughty Seigneurial guards on duty. They admitted him, after checking to see that he carried no concealed weapons, and he was conducted to an antechamber in which he found the Lord Moaris. ”

“ The predicament of Edith Herndon, and not fears for my own safety, made me scratch madly for a foothold as I swung above the shelf I left. Kaipi and Holman tugged till every muscle in my arms shrieked out against the way they were being handled. But I was going up. I "chinned" the crumbling layer of rock upon which my fingers had a perilous grip, laid my chest across the shelf and wriggled into safety.
"That's good," whispered Holman. "Don't puff so hard, man! We're too close to take any chances." ”

“ When Mr. Lincoln became President, Mr. Herndon could have had his fortunes materially advanced under the new Administration by saying a word. He was a poor man then and always, but he chose to remain in his more humble station and to earn his bread by his daily labor.
Some six years ago Mr. Herndon conceived the project of writing a series of magazine articles intended to portray the youth and early manhood of Lincoln. Being somewhat infirm, he called Mr. Weik to his assistance, as he has explained in his preface. The magazine articles expanded insensibly to the present volumes. ”

“ Mr. Herndon. On that series of questions, Mr. Ruby, you failed to respond or answer one or two of these questions, which I’ll give you an opportunity now to make any comment you wish to make about them.
Question No. 5, I asked, “Do you think members of your family are now in danger because of what you did?”
Mr. Ruby. Well, they’re always exposed to it, so I don’t know how to answer that.
Mr. Herndon. In other words, you felt it would be difficult for you to say either “Yes” or “No”; is that correct?
Mr. Ruby. That’s right; the same way with Fowler. ”

“ My cousins, Rowan and James Herndon, were at that time operating a store, and tiring of their investment and the confinement it necessitated, James sold his interest to an idle, shiftless fellow named William Berry. Soon after Rowan disposed of his to Lincoln. That the latter, who was without means and in search of work, could succeed to the ownership of even a half interest in a concern where but a few days before he would in all probability gladly have exchanged his services for his board, doubtless seems strange to the average young business man of to-day. ”

“ In one of these letters, endeavoring to incite Herndon to political ambition, he wrote: "Nothing could afford me more satisfaction than to learn that you and others of my young friends at home were doing battle in the contest, endearing themselves to the people and taking a stand far above any I have ever been able to 105reach in their admiration. I cannot conceive that other old men feel differently. ”

“ Now appeared in him the quality which led Herndon to call him a fatalist. All night long he sat unruffled in his office, while refugees from the stricken field—especially those overconfident Senators and Representatives who had gone out to watch the overthrow of the Confederates—poured into his ears their various and conflicting accounts of the catastrophe. ”

“ Herndon stared at Razumod's sweaty bulk a moment and gave ground, quivering with tension.
"You might have warned me," he said.
Benjin smiled apologetically. "It would have ruined the test. We must have strong men in our organization. Oversk, what do you think?"
"He threw down the stone," Heitman Oversk said heavily. "It's a good sign. I think I like him."
"Razumod?"
The commoner gave an assenting grunt, as did Dorgel. Herndon tapped the table and said, "So you're dealing in starstones? And you gave me one without warning? What if I'd succumbed?" ”

“ Lincoln thanked me and seemed very much pleased. Returning from off the circuit once he said to Mr. Herndon: 'Billy, I heard a good story while I was up in the country. Judge D——— was complimenting the landlord on the excellence of his beef. "I am surprised," he said, "that you have such good beef. You must have to kill a whole critter when you want any." "Yes," said the landlord, "we never kill less than a whole critter." "Lincoln's favorite position when unravelling some knotty law point was to stretch both of his legs at full length upon a chair in front of him. ”

“ Herndon. Let me go over it again, to make sure the question will be clear to you.
“Were you in the Dallas Police Department jail at the time Lieutenant Pierce’s car drove out of the basement?”
Mr. Ruby. If I can explain it—if I can elaborate on it, it will be easy to answer.
Mr. Specter. Go ahead now, if it’s all right with your counsel, so we can focus in on what concerns you.
Mr. Herndon. Perhaps I might want to ask that other question first and he would find he might not have as much of a problem if I asked it first.
Mr. Specter. Well, I prefer to stay with what we have now. I think we can. ”

“ The world owes more to William H. Herndon for this particular knowledge than to all other persons taken together. It is no exaggeration to say that his death, which took place at his farm near Springfield, Illinois, March 18, 1891, removed from earth the person who, of all others, had most thoroughly searched the sources of Mr. Lincoln's biography and had most attentively, intelligently, and also lovingly studied his character. He was generous in imparting his information to others. Almost every life of Lincoln published since the tragedy at Ford's Theatre has been enriched by his labors. ”

“ Herndon remembers many of these conversations in their office at Springfield and in their rides around the circuit. Lincoln said the impression had grown in him all his life; but Mr. Herndon thinks it was about 1840 that it took the character of a 'religious conviction.' He had then suffered much, and considering his opportunities he had achieved great things. He was already a leader among men, and a most brilliant career had been promised him by the prophetic enthusiasm of many friends. ”

“ Both Holland and Lamon acknowledge that they were more deeply indebted to him in the preparation of their respective works than to any other person. The Petersburg Democrat, published in Menard county, where Lincoln spent the first years of his manhood, says: "Mr. Herndon was the law partner of Mr. Lincoln from 1843 to 1860, and knew his inner life better than any other man." The Sangamon county Monitor, of Springfield, where Lincoln lived for a quarter of a century, says: "Herndon knew Lincoln's views better than any man in America." ”

“ Often, in good company, be seemed to be thinking of things in no way connected with the talk. Many called him a rather "shut-mouthed man."
Herndon used to say that the only thing he had against Lincoln was his habit of coming in mornings and sprawling on the lounge and reading aloud from the newspaper. ”

“ Mr. Ruby. Just the one question is enough to cover it?
Mr. Specter. Mr. Herndon advises that it is.
Mr. Herndon. I can ask that question and have it a matter of record.
Mr. Ruby. You see, there are so many things that I know in the minds of the people in Dallas that you’re not concerned with, that maybe I was put here as a front of the underworld and sooner or later they will get something out of me that they want done to their advantage.
Everything I have had financed, my brother Earl has contributed the money for or Ralph Paul, a friend of mine, has loaned me money.
Mr. Herndon. Mr. ”

“ I have Lincoln's word for it that it was more of a hand-shaking campaign than anything else. Rowan Herndon relates that he came to his house during harvest, when there were a large number of men at work in the field. He was introduced to them, but they did not hesitate to apprize him of their esteem for a man who could labor; and their admiration for a candidate for office was gauged somewhat by the amount of work he could do. Learning these facts, Lincoln took hold of a cradle, and handling it with ease and remarkable speed, soon distanced those who undertook to follow him. ”

“ Herndon knew that Brennt would probably notify Mardlin that the game was up immediately, so the Vonnimooro could attempt to get away. Herndon was not particularly worried about Mardlin escaping, since he had a weapon that would work on the jackal-creature at any distance whatever.
But he had sworn an oath to safeguard the combine's interests, and Herndon was a man of his oath. Mardlin was in possession of thirty-nine starstones for which the combine had paid. He did not want the Vonnimooro to take those with him. ”

“ Even on Deck C, in his steward's quarters, Herndon rated a full-grav room with synthik drapery and built-in chromichron; he had never lived so well even at his parents' home, and they had been among the first people of Zonnigog at one time.
His duties called for him to pay court upon the nobles each evening, so that they might seem more resplendent in comparison with the other aristocrats travelling aboard. The Moarises had brought the largest entourage with them, over a hundred people including valets, stewards, cooks, and paid sycophants. ”

“ Herndon, Lincoln's law-partner and most intimate friend, describes him at this 114period as a "thin, tall, wiry, sinewy, grizzly, raw-boned man, looking 'woe-struck.' His countenance was haggard and careworn, exhibiting all the marks of deep and protracted suffering. Every feature of the man—the hollow eyes, with the dark rings beneath ”

“ The congregation sat for an instant as if dazed; at length one old lady in the rear of the room rose up and glancing at the excited object in the pulpit, shouted at the top of her voice: 'If you represent Christ then I'm done with the Bible.'"—J. R. Herndon, MS., July 2, 1865.
A few days after the election Lincoln found employment with one Dr. Nelson, who after the style of dignitaries of later days started with his family and effects in his "private" conveyance—which in this instance was a flat-boat—for Texas. ”