[46]
New Britton Indiana
Dec 21st 1862.
Sunday Morning Cos' Brandon's
Dear kind husband
last friday evening I went to the office to get a letter from you and I
got it; like you Ty I will not attempt to tell you how rejoiced I was, to
hear from you nor how often I read the letter but will pass am to tell you
something you don't know so will as you do that on Friday evening after
receiving your letter I went to cos John's and yesterday morning went with
Mr & Mrs Hamble to Noblesville, oh Ty! I never enjoyed a day so sweetly
except in your company in my life, I first went to Swain's met with a very
kind [?] for [?] the old folks and came near being used up by Matt, her
first question was how is "Tiberias" and that was followed by a dozen more
before I had time to reply to anything she asked, I took dinner there then
called to see Zara Pantions of whom you have heard me speak she had just
came in from the country where she is teaching school, oh what a sad sweet
hour I spent with her. She was asking me all about you have I enjoyed married
life and if it was not very hard to be separated from the one I love so
well. I was trying to answer her questions and telling her that I was do
much happier now than before marriage. She draued a miniature of a gentleman
out of her basket, then a letter which told that the one she was to have
been married to this winter, was among the dead. Zara was cheerful at the
time but them was such a sad expression on her countenance, what would make
me pity and love her more. I met a number of my schoolmates on the street,
some of them did not recognize me and others would and would say "why Nellie
Edwards! with almost as much surprise as I Said "oh Ty! Nearly all the young
men that I was acquainted with have gone to war among them [Tom] Swain,
but I guess I have told you enough about that visit. I didn't get to stay
half long enough and am going back some saturday to stay all night. I did
not know positively that Sebe was taken as prisoner untill you told me I
am indeed sorry. and still more to know that he cannot come home. I notice
in the papers that they will not give furlough to paroled prisoners any
more, Yet if they are sent to Indianapolis Kate can go and see Sebe, oh
wont he be glad to see her and Ellie. Kate was not at home when I was there.
Dear Ty I would live to know how you and brothers are spending this gloomy
disagreeable day, I hope you are happy oh Ty I do want to see you so much
today but why should I tell it so often when it is utterly impossible but
in [?] of the impossibilities I sometimes feel as though I could not wait
much longer for you to come but I must lay down my pen and take care of
Bell while Sue gets dinner, we have company today and Sue and another lady
are [?] me they have told me a great many things that I never new and I
think it doubtfull about it all being true at least I will believe as much
of it as I choose. Now Good bye and a kiss.
Dinner over and I resume my writing
looking over your letter My dear Ty I have just been (oh there I made a
mistake) and I find many items of importance, the last however is far the
best and sweetest to me and Ty you need not fear that it will ever grow
stale it is just as sweet now as it was the first time heard you say it,
but it don't create so much surprise as then, you know Ty I was not expecting
it, but if I remember it did not take long to convince me that all you said
was true, one look at you was alsuffecient. Dear Ty I do not wonder that
you feel a very great anxiety about our brothers in the eastern army more
[?] at this time as they have no doubt been in the late engagement, and
I fear that you will not be as happy and cheerful as you usual are and then
the sad strain in which Daniel writes would be enough to allay to some extend
your enjoyment, I know Ty that you are naturally so hapfull always looking
at the side of everything yet I think dear Ty that you must have some such
sad moments now oh how much I have thought of this of late and wish I might
be with you at such times. I know dear husband that never can express my
feeling on such occasions but it always seems that you can read my thought,
and I love so well to hold your head on my bosom untill you could throw
off the sad feelings and be your happy self again, but I must not indulge
in such reflections and just now while I think of it I want to ask you how
you sent that miniature to me I have heard nothing from it yet when I was
at home I asked Melisa about it but she knew nothing about it and the letter
from your mother I have relieved neither of them and have been wondering
how you sent them, and while I am writing about miniatures I must tell you
something right funny and the folks here think it is a good joke on you,
it is this, when I was at Noblesville, I got the miniature of my old unseen
friend Hector Fraser, it it had been there ever since the [?] I left there,
he is what most every one (young ladies especially) would call a handsome
man but I think he looks to much like a "black=leg", I must confess I am
not very favorably impressed, however I may be mistaken, the girls at town
who saw it think he is a fine looking fellow, I think he resembles Proff
Thomas who went with us to [?] the folks tell me , I had better not tell
you about getting it or you might get angry at me about it, I tell them
if you do it will all be right, but oh how glad I am that I have no such
fears, wouldn't I feel sweet to be affraid to tell you such a thing why
you would be the first one I would this [?] of telling you see Ty I am saying
sweet things to you just to keep you from getting '[?]". Dear husband it
is night, I have been sitting here by the stove indulging in a sweet strain
of thoughts and need I tell you my dear Ty that every thought was of you,
oh no! you know that I always think of you, I am so glad that we know nothing
of distrust, but always feel such perfect confidence in each other, I never
think of you but that I feel you assured that you are thinking of me and
my husband will not our thoughts and prays ascend and meet at the throne
of God, oh what beautiful thoughts we can have even though we are separated,
I feel happy tonight and more resigned than I have all day but sometimes
Ty is it not hard to say "Thy will be done, not mine?" Here comes Willie
is talking about "Ty" he always knows when I am writing to you and trys
so hard to tell me something, you would not know Bell she has grown so;
In a letter I wrote you and directed to the regiment I sent you a letter
that I rec'd from sister Lizzie I thought it was good and funny, I also
sent you a ballad of "Ten oclock at night", you remember how sweetly Sam
sung it the night we were married. I learned it from the [?], by the way
Charlie has got offended at me but still keeps saying funny things, when
he is not to angry. oh I wish you could have heard him a few evenings ago.
Ty in looking over this letter I notice a great number of errors, but I
have had a very poor [?] to write there has been some one here all day [?]
much talking that it was rather difficult to write then this miserable old
pen, but here it is nearly time to quit writing oh my dear dear husband!
how I could talk to you tonight if I could see you, I so often think of
our last visit together and how sweet it was. I had almost forgot to thank
you for the letter you wrote my dear scholars. I think such letters will
do them good I do not find a great deal of trouble in teaching book learning
for they all have bright intellects but oh Ty I have labored as hard to
have a feeling of love existing towards each other and several times just
as was beginning to think I had [?] [?] got my object accomplished there
would some difficult arise and for a time almost discourage me. I sometimes
feel that I do not take the right course and try some other plan. I find
that I can conguer by [?] gentle means, in most cases, but nought of this
for the present must retire I will think of you a long time then offer up
a prayer for your safety and the success of my school for you are the two
objects entest me the most just at the present writ soon to your own wife
Sunday morning finds me at the school howe I have just got a fire built
and the floor swept it is not school time and none of the the scholars have
come yet. I understand I am to have visitors today. I violated one of the
rules of the old "flint lock system the other day I [?] one of the spelling
classes and you [see] it as not going to work well, but now good bye my
dear husband, I'll write you soon again, do the same. |