Handsboro July 1^st 1864

 

My dear Irwin

                        On our return from Ocean Springs late yesterday evening where Aunt & I had been to carry Sis home I found your favor of the 13^th June. I was disappointed though for I expected some others of a much later date some persons have received letters of 17^th & 18^th from Marietta but it seems that our letters are doomed to stay in some out of the way place much longer than the distance would justify perhaps tis to try ones patience if so it succeeds to a charm with me. I think Miss Annie Ford or some other fair damsel in your vicinity must be very agreeable to you since your letters to Jennie are growing shorter & more short. Irwin if you could just imagine with what anxiety the mails are waited for & how eagerly your darling "notes" are read & reread you would never let an opportunity / pass without writing to your loved one I will be content with only one line & am in ecstacies with a long long letter. I verily believe you do not write long epistles now because I took the unwarrented liberty of laughing at your errors of haste. rest assured Irwin that I'll not be guilty of a like misdemeanor until you are with me where I can kiss you until you say you are not seriously offended. Do not let your pride be so easily ruffled Irwin you know what a tease I was before you saw me & I do not think you have had cause to change your opinion since but I promise to keep my pen still & tongue too until you come home when I will be all the worse for the calm. You tell me to write long letters you do so in ridicule I know but when I commence writing to you I never know when to stop you may blame your self for being so fascinating if your letters are longer than you can put up with why all you have to do is to tear part up & then maybe the rest will be welcome.

 

            As to my thinking anything about your letters / an unpleasant effect they must have produced on you. Excuse the past I'll do better in future.

I met Dr. McCallen the other day & he wanted to know if "change" had not come over "the spirit of my dreams" "You are growing sedate & increasing in wisdom, once in a while we see you walking by in a great hurry & in a few minutes you return, whereas you used to ride by full tilt [?] times every day, is your poney dead? not, well then I know not how to account for it but I must commend you for your praiseworthy conduct." To prove that my poney was not dead I ran him by there several times the next day I went riding two or three hours but missed my dear companions though & the ride was not near so pleasant as formerly. Would you like a companion on your courier duties I think I should enjoy being with you hugely but the Genl. would have to keep plenty of spare horses. Give my compliments to Mr. Gibbons Messrs Whiteman & Mr. Rom[?] tell them for me that we will never forget them & that / Handsboro will always recall the period of their stay as being among the happiest on record they have my best wishes as well as Mr. Gostenhoffer. His obliging disposition & cheerful conversation during our delightful sail  was remembered with gratitude. Oh! for peace I cannot think of those pleasant bygone days without hoping and praying that they are not past never to return. I have not seen Mrs. Meyers Myers since receiving your message but will deliver it soon. She asks about you frequently indeed every time we meet in my last I told you that she desired to be remembered kindly to you and that you had her best wishes. We had cantalope for breakfast this morning & we have some of the finest peaches I ever saw. put your two fists together & you will have some idea of their size. I would give anything almost to send a supply to you. Eat some green apples for me you know I'm very fond of green fruit. What has become of Major Pullen I declare you are treating Aunt Mary shamefully / in not letting me relieve her great anxiety. Let us know immediately. Even if the cravats were worthy your acceptance they would scarcely look comme il faut with clothes of twenty or thirty days wearing so I shall keep them. You flatter yourself that you are going to get a very neat little wife, at least one would judge so from your explanation. "I know that they are just as they should be or Jennie would not have made them." how awfully deceived you are but I'll not dispel the illusion by giving you ocular evidence. trust a woman for keeping her defects veiled & remember that there's many a jest spoken, but truth lies under the upper covering of smile; many a truth spoken in jest. Now Irwin "forewarned forearmed" be prepared for the worst & maybe you will be agreeably disappointed. Aunt sends love & Laura says tell cousin John howdy for me & that I think he had better come home else hettie will wait till she goes blind. Aunt sends a kiss but I think that / by the time my debts are paid your lips will be blistered & I am not generous all the time or with every one. Good bye my darling give me a kiss & put your arms around me once more. I feel perfectly contented when I am supported by you. there now I must stop as I have another letter to write to day to Brother Frank who was in [?] on the 22^nd Does it not seem strange that those I love best were writing to me on the same day & were close together too. Again Good bye

                                                                       

Your devoted

Jennie

 

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I am very much afraid these are not long enough. I came very near spoiling the light one trying to iron it but they'll do for [?] if you feel inclined to keep them but if not throw them away if you dare

                                                                       

God bless you Irwin

 

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I hope the old woman's prophecies may accord with the will of Our Heavenly Father & that He will indeed permit us to meet again this Irwin is my constant petition, but if it be not His will you know that we will meet in the place not made with hands if we so live as to merit the command of the good & faithful servant. I am cheerful. at least hopeful. I'll live in hope if I die in despair.

 

Good bye again.

                                   

Your devoted

Jennie

 

All were well at home yesterday & I reckon Sis will write by this mail.

 

 

 

[fragment]

 

...like Lieut. Comfort let me tell you that 'tis out of the question. I know you have a very humble opinion of self else you would have looked higher for a wife & as there is no one else in camp who can tell me all your good qualities & bad ones ^(?) I must hear them from you. by the way what have you done with that bad habit of yours now, I mean the frequent use of tobacco. you said you would not quit that but I hope you will prepare to do so when we are married, but I'm somewhat like the little boy whose father sent him to over-take a horse drover & try to purchase a beautiful poney for twenty five dollars less than was asked for it, but to get it any how. "The Drover daddy told me to try to get the horse for so much but if I could not get it for that to give your prise." You see now I try to get you to leave off the use of tobacco but if you wont I'll take you with it. Am I not very generous. Bless you Irwin I would rather see tobacco from one side of the house to the other than loose you. I do not think you could possibly be so disfigured by any costume that I would not know you / & if I knew you be certain that the kiss would be voluntary yes, I would be glad to have the opportunity. I would not be in a very great hurry to ask you to release me were I in your arms for I think I would be oblivious of every thing save that you were safe & I in your dear embrace.

                        Miss Kate is just from Mobile & is with us today assisting me in my preparations for the trip I will start in about two or three weeks & I believe Sis hopes to go with me as I will only be gone about a week or ten days you need not change the address for more than likely I will be home again ere an answer could reach you. I hope to find an abundance of letters waiting for me on my return. I believe I wrote you that I was at last free from headache & never have any sumptoms of it when circumstances will admit of my bathing daily. I spoke of being nearly lame I have let the Dr. attend to my foot & feel much better satisfied with myself since. While he was attending to my foot he looked in my face & his wife thoughtlessly remarked / that I must be very warm as my face was as red as scarlet. I of course tried to assent but it was just sundown & I had ridden up there, we were sitting on the front gallery & there was a delightful breeze. but Dr. Long laughed & said it was self evident that no male ever saw my bare foot before. Oh! how cheap I did feel to think that he saw through our subterfuge so easily since though he has not tried to plague me about it.

            He said he scarcely saw knew how I had managed to walk at all as it was in the worse possible place & consequently very much enflamed & that in a week or two more twould have been past his skill. it is painful now but I can walk without limping perceptibly. I will try & remember that procrastination is one of your abominations & something in which you never indulge. Have you read "Macaria" yet. Sis has two copies & has left one in my charge. it is needless for me to say that I have read it. It makes ordinary persons like myself feel like a child in / knowledge to see the number of persons of, I suppose, great reputation with whom she is not acquainted & many of that she has never heard of & then the dictionarys she (Miss Evans) must have swallowed before commencing to write would have made a complete fool of me. I am contented with my lot since I cannot be Irene Huntingdon & know not how to compute astronomical observations & could not after the death of my father refuse to wed a lover in every way worthy of me because he was my that father's political enemy. No, no deliver me from one of your impenetrable, cold, stern countenances especially in a woman. but maybe you think I am trying to show how much I know by trying to critisize a work too deep for my comprehension. I acknowledge that 'tis to deep for me. as I have forsworn another half sheet I must stop. Aunt sends much love & says she has no time to fulfil her promise to day. With my best love accept apologies for past lengthy letters thousand kisses & daily prayers to Heaven for your continued safety Good bye

                                                                                    Your own Jennie

 

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Laura says give him my love now what she means by that I'll leave you to imagine.

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