Johnstown. Dec 1^st1864

                                                                             Thursday Afternoon

 

My Friend Frank.

                                    It seems as though that class of men styled “Postmasters” have a strange fancy for sending my letters to the “Return-Letter-Office” instead of to their proper destination. Do you remember of requesting me—the last time you wrote from the army—to send a letter to “W^msport” to meet you on your arrival? Punctual to the time the white-winged messenger sped on its way. When a long time elapsed and I received no answer to that missive, expectation, and inquiry ran high to know why my friend neglected me without a cause/

 

At length a letter came—a cold—chilling letter—in which the only reference made to the kind invitation that you would come and allow your friend to see you face to face, and converse with you, almost reading the words in each others eyes before the tongue spoke them, was that you did not know when you would come—and giving no reason for it whatever.

 

I said, “I will not answer this letter, for if he feels no more interest in me who have written to him—a stranger—when he was far away from friends, and tried to cheer him when despondent, and to throw some rays of light across his pathway, then to feel it irksome to be in her presence, I will not trouble him with more letters.

 

But this week the mystery is solved, for that self-same letter which I wrote came back to me from the “Return-Letter-Office.”

 

And, now, again a long time has elapsed since I wrote, but perhaps the letter has met the same fate as the previous one, or perhaps/you are sick,—at least I will be charitable enough to thing that your neglect was not intentional, until I hear from you again.

 

Anna too is anxious to grasp the hand of one whom she knew when she was happy in the love of one of whose fate she now knows nothing. But still she hopes—even against hope—that her loved one will return to her yet. Hers is a sad fate.

 

Hoping that you have recovered from the effects of your cut, and that we shall soon see you in our midst, I will close.

 

I will send the other letter to you also, so that you can see by the date that I was punctual to the request.

 

I shall expect to hear from you on Saturday or Monday. I have a cousin living in your place—do you know him?                                           Ever

                                                                                                Your

                                                                                                            Friend

                                                                                                                        Mollie

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