.NzUw.OTI3
[1]
[Marginalia]
The girls have just come & it is to dark to write more. I think a great
deal about the letter I am going to get from you tomorrow. I think a
great deal about you and wish so much you could be at home. I know
you would get well directly - Oh Darling what will I do if I fail to get a letter
from you. I have been thinking about it ever since Friday. Your ever Darling
who loves you better than life.
My dear Husband
It troubled me so much to hear of your being sick. I
received a letter from you Saturday written 15th and directed to Oxford
"to be sent by Sass. [Sassafras] Fork mail" I had received two before of later date 19th & 21st
by Sass Fork. I hope Darling you succeeded in stopping your chills and
had no more after the third. How I long to be with you to nurse, cheer, &
comfort you. I felt so badly when I first heard it that I could not take in-
terest in anything but Pa told me that the old fashioned shaking ague were
easier to cure and the more distinct the chill the more manageable it is.
I felt better after that and expect your next letter will bring the glad tidings
that you are well again. Friday evening Smiley brought up a box of hens &
chickens we fixed up a box with a few articles which you have been needing
for some time. I sent your Bible, -- Dictionary, some paper, Tobacco, two prs
socks, and two pr old[underscored] drawers. I gave all of your old drawers to the hospitals
before you left home except three pair. One pair I sent was hardly
worth sending but I understood from you letter that you preferred
old ones just to wear in the hottest weather and you can then
throw them aside. We filled up all the vacant places with onions & just to
make it go safe we did not intend it for a box of eatables you wrote me to
wait awhile before we send anything to eat as you are well supplied just now
with every thing of that kind. I put three doz- candles on top and am very much
afraid they will be mashed between the box of tobacco & the top of the box.
Smiley carried it down to Clarksville the next-day (Saturday) also three jars
of butter and eight jars of lard. I wrote to Ben Morton requesting him to
send the box off immediately by Express. He sent me the butter money and
the money for one of the largest jars of lard (one I gave Sister Martha) The jar
of lard brought $30 and the three jars of butter $40. The rest of the lard when
sold will be credited on his books. I am going to buy cards for Ma & myself
with my butter. I have not succeeded in getting any they are $25 a pair
[2]
and very scarce at that. Ben Morton has not received the box of things you sent.
Yesterday we went to Shiloh to hear Cousin Bob's funeral sermon. The house
was full, all of the people from around the Fork - his old patrons & scholars
but Mr. Standfield did not come and it was put off. Mr. Hines however preached
one of his best sermons. He gave notice that on the second Sunday in August
there would be an election of the elders. Mr. Graves school commenced about two
weeks ago. There are a good many boys - most of them very small, he looks very
badly and I dont believe he will hold out though the session. He brings [E...?]
with him every Sunday and she sits by him. [Willie?] Flournoy went in church as soon
as he got [to school?] took his seat and read Hymns till preaching commenced
it reminded me so much of you Darling. I think he must be a pious boy &
I like very much what I have seen of him and saw in the papers that Morton
Flournoy was wounded. John Lewis is certainly killed & Dick is prisoner. Poor
Fannie will not believe her brother is dead. Alex Gordon was also killed and
fear very much that it will kill Mary & Mr. Graves told us yesterday that
he feared so too. A few days before the battle he wrote her that he had been
marching very hard and could get nothing to eat but bread & water as soon
as she heard it she put on homespun and would wear nothing else and
lived on bread & water herself. She was always a singular girl and her devotion
to her brother very remarkable. Old Mrs. Baskerville is still with Mrs. B and
Lila Goode will be back next Monday. Grace [Wilson?] keeps house for her and she
will not concent for her to leave. Martha Morton stayed there two or three
days last week she says Old Mrs. B does not bear Mr. B's death now as well
as Mrs. Baskerville does. At first she made a great effort to keep up for his wifes
sake, now she seems completely crushed. She frequently heard her say "He was
all I had left, my only one." When I go to see her I will carry the letter he wrote
you after hearing of little Charleys death. I think it would do her good to read
it . He little thought when he was speaking words of sympathy & consolation to
our hearts that he would so soon join our dear little boy and enter into that
rest of which he seemed already to have a foretasted. Mrs. Jack Field died
[3]
several days ago. I have heard none of the particulars except that she was
ready & died triumphantly. Here character was beautiful & lovely. [Daniel?] &
Johnny can tell you her history. They knew & loved her. I have heard a great
deal of her piety. [?] Wilson came home with Bella yesterday from church
Nat Daniels went there too. We found Willie Boyd here - came from cousin [Backs?]
he has fattened & improved very much. He & the girls went over the Aunt
[Judiths?] this morning to spend the day . We have had a real hard rain since dinner but not
enough to raise the streams much. The crops are terribly in the grass. The
Tobacco here and at Home is almost ruined by wet weather. Mr. Harris has had
the winter oats in the field next to Roysters shucked. There are only three
stacks the wheat has been hauled from that field & stacked around the
granary at least two stacks of it was carried off by the freshet much
more than we thought at first. Mr. Harris will have the Bowers wheat
stacked too as soon as it dries sufficiently it has weavle in the shuck.
Mr. Harris says you must not be uneasy about your matters he will do
all he can. I never saw such a remarkable spell of weather in my life.
Pa has round up the land business with Tom Carrington. He has written
what he wishes me to tell you about it and I will copy it off. "We got the
County Surveyor of Mecklenburg to run off the Land. We found the old
lines from the sugar Maple on the creek, out to the road correct. We
ran the lines according to agreement to where the road from Smiley's
entered the old field. It did not vary much from a straight line.
Carrington got about an acre of the West[?] land tract a corner of old field
near the unknown corner. The line passes near Smiley's old house
leaving it on your side & struck the creek about fifty yards above the
mouth of Smiley's spring branch. The Deed was filled out and delivered
and I took his bond, the [bal- & ...?] Your Tax paid Amt $112.00"
Are you not glad that matter is all fixed? Ma is about sending the
carriage for the girls it still rains a little occasionally. I am sitting
at the back window in the girls room. Minnie is riding her Grandpa
[4]
stick around the room. She talks about you every day and says "Mamma
Papa going to get well and get up out of the bed." She has improved very much
lately is really a good child she has commenced fattening up again and
looks as well now as I ever saw her. She is standing on the trunk by
me and says "Ma take your ink up I frad [underscored] I turn it over" She is not
afraid to stay in a dark room alone, while I was at home Mildred [soon?]
put her to bed and if the supper bell rang before she went to sleep she
would say "Go to Bekfas Aunt Millie" and would stay up here perfectly
satisfied all alone till Mildred came back. Bella Speed told me that
they had just received a letter from Mrs. Taylor. The Maj has been in
the Army ever since Xmas as commissary. The Yankees had paid
her several visits but had interrupted nothing. Nannie Speed is at home
and is as tall as Bella. William Boyd will probably stay at home two or
three weeks longer. Mr. Smiley Mrs. S & Maria were at Shiloh. They have
heard from Rigins & John Barchett Rigins is sick in the Hospital in [Win?]
chester Va Barchett was in Penn with Lee but was not hurt. Louis
[Davis'?] negroes are all the time in the woods. Some time ago they were
all out but one and ["goin"?] cooks & milks regularly for Rose. They have
a little negro girl about nine years old who stays out most of the time
goes to Mr. Moss' & Mr. Higgins sometimes perfectly[struck-through] without any clothes
on. She is as soiled looking as a little savage and is dreadfully scarred
up. Friday as Pa was going to the Fork he noticed a track in the road
which looked as if it was made by a [log?] dragging from a wagon. Chris
[Heggy?] Moss & Pa heard some body knocking down in the woods and
went to see what it was when they saw this little girl with a block
weighing 50 pounds chained around her neck. She had a rock trying to
get the chain off. She had nearly succeeded. Chris was afraid to take off the
block but Pa said he would take the responsibility and took it off her eyes
ever wollen as if she had been beaten in the face and the chain was fixed
so as to choke her if she tried to drag it off. She was carried home Saturday and [Grace?]
says they locked her up in the crib and had given her nothing to eat. Sunday
evening Pa seems to be very muuch disturbed about it and all the neighbors are talk
ing about Louis cruel treatment of his negores. What a sweet morsel this
[Marginalia]
would be to Mrs. Stowe expect she would write another book on the subject
</html>
