Macon, Miss

Nov. 21^st/63

 

My Own Darling,

                                    I received yours of the 12^th & 13^th this morning, and they certainly were the recipients of a warm welcome. I had become quite uneasy about you it having been more than a week since I received a letter from my "Lord & master", and he usually so good to write. I had begun to think he was sick, or married again (as frequently happens these stirring times) and was so much taken up with his "blushing bride" as to have forgotten his poor old wife "ho hum"

 

There's M^rs Boswell, and I must leave my letter to entertain her.

 

"          " After Supper. Now I intend to devote myself exclusively to writing to "my Husband". How I love that name. I think its the embodyment of all the love, & trust, & hope every true wife can feel. And by the bye, several girls in Macon have taken the marrying mania since / I sliped of the carpet. One was married last week, and my friend Fernie Goodwin is to slide out of single blessedness soon. If they all get as good husbands as I have, they will be very lucky; but I'm afraid they will not all succeed as I'm begining to think there are but few men like "my Husband". but I reckon the old adage will apply in the case that "every crow thinks its own the blackest". But the best I can wish them is that they will all be as happy and well satisfied with their bargain as I am, & that they can have them at home, which I can't. I saw a soldier from the 25^th Louisiana a few days ago. The servant invited him to sit in the piazza. Sue and I having some curiosity (our sexs failing you know) went out to see him. I asked him if he knew D^r Wilkerson he said yes, that he was their surgeon, and "a mighty good one at that". That "all the boys would die by him" &c. He seemed to have a very flattering opinion of him. Ma laughed and told Sue he / was just soft sawdering me, because he thought I was "Boss" here. I told her if D^r W. was any kin to you, any one could not help from having a good opinion of him. Since Sue sees I am so contented with a married life I think she would like to assume a state of "double blessedness". Tom is her sweetheart, and by the way I thank you for your information about him and wish it could have been more satisfactory. Do you think there is any cause for uneasyness? Tell me candidly my Darling. We can hear nothing more from him; all we can do is to quietly await the result I've written to him but am fearful I will never reach him

We received a letter from Tom this evening; he is doing finely, says he wants me to write him a long letter and let him know what Capt Wilkerson is doing M^rs Hubbard has asked me to name her baby. I agreed to give it one name Zailee. How do you like it? I knew she would want some "fancy" name so I gave her / a real Oriental one. She ought to have heard the opinion of the old judge when issuing a verdict on a divorce case "that he advise a fellow never to marry a girl with a high sounding name, a Miss Fidelia, Inez, or Maud, that they generally made mighty poor wives". But I'm inclined to Shakespeare opinion that "there's nothing in a name". If there were long e'er this I know I would have been disgusted with the plain old cognomen of "Nancy". And even to my fastidious taste Simon Cornelius is a very sweet name because one bears it who is "all the world to me" My Darling won't you become wearied of reading my prosy letters three times a week. Look here old fellow If you dont lengthen your letters I will be sure and forget the whiskers I wish you would make haste & use up that note paper of yours. When Billie came this morning from the office and I saw your two letters I thought nice time I am going to have reading my Darling's letter and low & behold one only contained a few lines from you & the other was a mere note also. I've placed the letters

 

[overwritten]

 

of mine you sent home safely away. I've placed them among my treasures, that is your letters and all the letters that were written concerning our marriage. How I wish you were here to-night, sitting before my comfortable fire in my big chair with—yes with about ninety odd pounds in your lap. I've a thousand things to tell you, a thousand questions to ask, and ten times that number of kisses to give. You never said whether you'd come home and make a "merry Christmas" with us or not.

 

I shall look for you in old Santa Clause's place. It would indeed by a merry Christmas with me in spite of war & blockade and all those Yankee nuisances if I could have my Dear Husband with me. But as he is "a gentleman on Confederate States duty" I guess I'll have to resign him to Jeff Davis this Christmas and as I did last Christmas, do without him. Darling I will close I know there is a time when forbearance ceases to be a virtue, and I should think after reading this letter yours had almost reached that point so with much love and many wishes for fond remembrance I'm ever

                                                                                   

Your Wife Nannie

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