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Blenheim December 27, 1864

Tuesday

Darling Nina We got the first mail yesterday

that we had had since last Sunday week &

it brought me Ma's letter of the 18th & yours

of the 20th also one from Madge Pope & Maj

Wolfe both of which I will enclose you, send

the Mag's to Sis & tell her to send it back, the Maj's

is so high faluting I can't make make much out of it. Do

you know my lady love you owe me two letters al-

ready, so now just set right down & write me a

good long one. I hope you are having a pleasant

Xmas. I suppose dear Father is with you, how

much you all must be enjoying being together.

You must not get low spirits when Mother leaves

you, you must remember you have been more for-

tuate than the rest of us in having her with

you so long. [?] [?] I shut up certainly not even a

hope of my getting down to see Fannie, for the

weather is dreadful & the roads I suppose [?]

most of not quite impassable, quite so for the

Drs poor horses, and can't even get out to take

a walk and not a book to read, I am going to send

over and ask Sue Hooper to lend me [Fosters?], I

can't think of anything else, but I sit up here in

my room & work / sing away. I am on on my 10th

pair of gloves now and am [crocheting?] a little cap

for Mrs. H to send to one of her friends; She has been

so kind in supplying me with yarn to knit gloves.

[?] I sent my last pair of gloves & [beauties they were?]

to Willie, but I have not heard from him yet, I

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will by the next mail I reckon & I will send you

his note if I get it. Mrs. H wrote to him some time

ago & I told her to ask him I said, did he make

promises just that he might have the pleasure of

breaking them, he sent me word in reply "that much

as he had [?] in regard to some of the promises

he has made me, he had kept the one which I told

him was the most important, that is he had read three

of the little books I gave him (gospels) & would finish

the 4th that week." So then I sent him the gloves & a tes-

tament, did not send any name with it but wrote on

a slip of paper, "Read the Epistles now." he will know where

it came from & then I had a copy of the Church Intelligence

sent him, at least I sent the [money?]. I shall have [?]

of knowing whether it ever got there. I hope you have

gotten my Xmas gift before this for I watned you to

wear it while you were at Gen Lee's, I sent it down in

a bundle that went to Mrs. Stewart by a white girl who

had been sewing for Mrs. H last Tuesday, and I wrote to

Mother by the same mail. I will take the [?] for

the dress with regards to yours and hope you were so

busy enjoying yourself as not to heave time to make it.

The buttons do very well, and I am charmed to hear

you have gotten me some [?], at least so I read

your letter, but it is so blotted I could not make out

what kind they were or what was the price, don't

send back the $5.00 I shall be wanting something

before long & should just have to send it back, besides

I owe you [1.00?] on the elastic. Could you spare

the money for the [corsets?], because if you can't I can

send it to you. I enclose you a letter to Mary [?]

Kate [Stephens?] (Grey), Rose Bently, and Jennie [Claget?]

are in Richmond & [Mattie?] will see them if you

don't, ask her to send it for me if she knows of any

opportunity. I suppose Mother & Father will be

gone by the time this reaches you, or I would

write to them too, but if they should not be give much

love to them. We have had no papers for almost two weeks

and are most anxious to know the meaning of this

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move of troops on the Danville road. I am sorry you could

not go up to spend your Xmas with Lettie and Mr. John

you would have enjoyed it, but I suppose you couild not

have gone if you had intended, for I suppose as they

have not been carrying the mail they have not been ta-

king passengers either. What did Mr. John have to say for

himself, send me his letter, I reckon he looks very inter-

esting on crutches. What has become of Willie, and have

you heard anything of friend [Marloe?] or Cousin Da-

vid, does he send you any messages? [?] said in his

last that Uncle D sent his love to me & said they kept

him so straight up there he did not have time to come

to see me, or his Mother either. I got my watch yesterday

safe & sound & was delighted to see it, I have missed it so

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much in school. Did you help [dress?] the church? I got

[their?] Xmas gifts gifts, Mattie gave me a handkercief &

Norvell a pair of stockings, & Mrs. Willie H, three hanks of

yarn to knit Pa some socks, but it s not very nice, I

wonder if he wants any this winter. Now Nina darling

write me a long letter & tell me all you have done

and who you have seen during Xmas & all about Ma

& Pa.

Your loving,

Hattie