Handsboro June 27^th 1864

 

Dearest Irwin

                        It is now after nine o'clock at night but as I may not have time to write in the morning I will take advantage of tardy somnus. No mail Saturday & no letter Wednesday consequently I am as sour as "sweetness" ever gets. I think 'twill be dangerous to approach me if we hear no late news in our next. Rumor has it that Lee & Johnston have both succeeded in bringing the enemy to a general engagement & that though we routed the army our losses have been very severe. I will trust in God and pray that you may escape unscathed: this report is said to be a telegraphic dispatch to Pascagoula & brought to Handsboro verbatim by Mr. Young the mail rider. Oh for peace I think we will know how to prize & appreciate an honorable peace when God sees fit in His good mercy to grant it. Aunt Mary has returned, but had / a most delightful^(?) trip. It has rained nearly ever since they started & the creeks were very high in one or two places they had to swim & everything in the buggy was soaking. Laura had to "wade" most of the creeks in advance of the bug mule. don't you envy any one so delightful a journey? Neither have suffered any inconvenience from their exposures as yet & as they have been home since Friday I hope they will not. This tallow candle is nearly gone & I promised to quit when it gave out. Aunt, Anola & your humble servant were invited out to tea this evening & I assure you we had every thing excellently delicious. How much more I should have enjoyed myself had you been with me I can only leave you to imagine. I never eat any thing good but I think of you & wish I could fly to your tent with plenty of the best.

 

            Now that Aunt Mary is home I can afford to laugh at the fright Sis & I had one night. Shall I tell you about it? About midnight I was aroused by a hand gently laid on my shoulder & a voice whispering in my ear "Jennie! Jennie! some one is in the hall, listen, don't you hear the steps." / "No Sister 'tis the wind rustling some stray paper" "but Jennie I heard them in here, they walked all around the room but I thought it was you until I felt for you & found you in bed." "Then Anola we must get out the window & go to the negro quarters, wake up one of the men & come directly "Stop Jennie, I must get my shoes." "Shoes! the notion. don't you know they are on the other side of the house & in getting them you are sure to stumble over a chair or perhaps knock some one down; come on." arriving at this conclusion we both walked^(?) to the houses & after a little trouble made the thick skulls understand our errand. an axe was gathered on the way to the scene of expected contest & we went bravely forward. Of course as the door had not been unlocked we had to get in through the aforesaid opening. I lit a candle & we then searched every nook & corner for the supposed man. ascending to the attic I asked the negro girl who sleeps there if she had heard any one come up stairs. "That was me Miss "Jinnette" I was just coming to bed." It was quite a relief / & a very good joke in daylight. I wish that fiddle would stop my candle a going—going—(slowly, Good night I'll get up very early in the morning & finish this before other less pleasant duties think I am awake. a kiss before we go. Good night again) gone. Tuesday morning Contrary to all my expectations the sun was up & every one astir before my eyes were half open. Are you fond of morning naps? if so you can enter into my feelings when I say that I luxuriate in two every morning. how pleasant it is to feel that you can sleep as long as inclinations dictate, but I fear you will think me very lazy as well as dull if I continue in this strain. If you are, as you say, by nature very indolent your present life of activity is scarcely endurable. how do you manage to keep up, going day & night would tire me nearly to death in a very few days yet you seem to stand it very well. Aunt sends a great deal of love & wishes she could send a basket of peaches with it. Every day some one says "I wish Lieut. Kendall & his men were back here now while peaches are ripe". Have you / any idea when we may begin to look for your return? but I know you have not; a soldier cannot say I will be home such & such a day or even month. God grant that we may not look in vain when this cruel war is over. Now Irwin if tomorrow does not bring the mail & the mail a letter for me I won't attempt to say what I may be guilty of. I have just told Aunt Mary what you already know, that I never write interesting letters & that I can not write even passably well this morning as I have no letter to answer. She says I must tell you so & immediately after says but that will make no difference he will expect your best every time. I would give much to feel that you would never be disappointed. Sis wants to write to you this morning & I have got to make a fashionable call so I must close. My best & only love dear one with my prayers for your safety. Good bye

                                                                                   

Yours affectionately

Jennie. 

 

In a strange mood of contrariety Anola refuses to write this morning & I must bare the blame of your disappointment. She asked me not to seal my letter last night & of course I thought she was going to write. I am sorry for I know my letter will poorly compensate for the loss of one from her. She leaves me tomorrow & I know I shall miss her very much. Aunt & I will carry her down to Biloxi. Good bye

                                                                                   

Yours Jennie.

 

Aunt says I have been  such a bad girl since you left that she will have to write by next mail & tell you what a dreadful dreadful miscreant I am. Oh! I'm so scared.

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