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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 wtih 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 whle 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