In 1931 , 87-year-old Mrs. Sarah A. Cooke Myers suggested that there was a dignified silence after Lincoln finished his speech . She had been there when she was 19 years old . In 1931 , the printed recollections of 87-year-old Mrs. Sarah A. Cooke Myers , who at the age of 19 was present , suggest a dignified silence followed Lincoln 's speech : `` I was close to the President and heard all of the Address , but it seemed short .