New Orleans April 7^th/64

 

Louisa, my dearest.

                                    This is a wet nasty, rainy day, and of all places in the world, New Orleans is the dirtiest on such a day.

 

                                    But the sky to me to-day seems more beautiful than the finest blue curtain that the liveliest fancy could imagine. The streets look to me more charming than if they were paved with gold. Ugly houses, ugly persons and ugly things look beautiful, and beautiful things look more charming than ever. I am on good terms with everything, and bear every one a good will.

 

            And still I can assure you that I am not crazy, but am in / the perfect enjoyment of my senses. But, I'll tell you why. After having waited, in expectation of a letter from you, patiently for two weeks, and after having had the blues terribly sometimes during this period, I was rewarded this morning by receiving your dear, dear letter of the 9^th of March. I feel so happy now, that I can almost forgive the rascally postmasters, who have been a month getting your letter here, when I can easily travel from home to this place in ten days.

 

            Your letter was postmarked the 11^th of March and did not leave New York until the 25^th of March by the Steamer Havana, which arrived last night. Oh how delighted I was. I know it all by heart / already.

 

            Well if I get my orders to go to Fortress Monroe, and come through Cincinnati, I see that we are bound to have a fight. We will see who can kiss and hug and bite and pinch the most. I am going to let my finger nails grow long and am going to a dentist and have all my teeth sharpened.

 

            But you are a "[word in non-English script]".

 

[same word, repeated throughout a paragraph], Louisa.

 

            Now, probably you'll scratch my eyes out.

 

            I wish I could give you a chance to-night. I would run / the risk so gladly. Now aint I brave. I am not afraid of you a bit.

 

April 9^th

            When I got as far as this in the letter yesterday two citizen friends of mine, Messrs. Durham and May stepped in to call on me. After remaining some time, at 7 O'clock in the evening we all three started out to call on an old citizen of this place, Mr. Holbrook who keeps bachelor's hall of Lafayette street. We remained there until after 9 O'clock, and then we went to a confectionary and had some ice cream and strawberries. Then we went to a restaurant and had some oysters and snipe &c and remained eating and chatting until / nearly 12 O'clock. I then came home but it was too late to write more, so I deferred it until this morning.

 

            Since my last letter, Gen^l Shepley, the Military Governor of this state, has been relieved from duty here and has been ordered North. He and I with his staff had been rooming together when I was in the city ever since we took New Orleans two years ago This event broke up my family and I am now living in company with three other friends of mine, with a German family named Hamburger. They put a bed for me in their parlor, and I so have a very neat set of quarters. Every thing is neat cozy and comfortable. The house is a cottage house. It is not a cottage by the sea but it is situated along / side of a railroad track which goes to the sea, so that it amounts to about the same thing. The cottage is situated on the corner of Calliope and Nayades streets. The names of the other two streets that form the block I now live in are Camp and Delord streets. Just this minute, the landlady has set before me on my table a beautiful bouquet of roses, violets &c. which she has just plucked in the garden. How I do wish my dear, that I could send it to you.

 

            Louisa, my love. I have just read your letter again, and the more I read it, the more it pleases me. I was much disappointed however that you did not send me your photograph in it. Be / sure and don't forget about the photographs of the rest of the Bogen family and connections.

 

            Louisa, you must always consider that Mad. Rive is included when I send my compliments love &c to all. She is one of the family, as I consider it.

 

"When you squeezed my thumb"

 

You dont like that line, you say. Well, aint it true? Did'nt you squeeze it? I declare it is sore yet from the squeezing. I can scarcely use it now in writing. If you keep on there will not be much left of me. You first break my thumb, now you are going to bite off my nose, and pull off my ears. / I see what you are trying to do. You are trying to make me unfit for further military service, so that I will be placed on the retired list and sent home on half pay. Then, you think, I will be near you all the time.

 

            My dearest Louisa, I must tell you a story again, and since you are such a fine French scholar I will write you one in French, and I will put it in as a Postscript. If there are any words in it that you cannot make out, why just go and ask Madam Rive. She will be very glad to assist you. But I do not think you will have / trouble with a single word. Give my love to all, and with just one scratch, bite and a kiss, I am your very bad but devoted

 

                                                                                    [non-English script]

 

P. S.     Combien de fois a-t-on dit que, dans une lettre de femme, le point important est le postscriptum? En voici un nouvel example.

            Une jeune personne de l'Indiana éloignée temporairement de sa famille, écrivait derniérement a son père. La lettre était longue at ne contenait que des banalités; nais, après les embrassades finales et le "votre fille respectueuse" qui est le dernier mot d'une demoiselle bien / élevée se trouvait la ligne suivante:

"P.S.—Vous verrez par ma signature que je suis mariée."

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