South Boston July 11th

 

My Dear Friend

                                    I fancy I hear you saying something about after this style, well Mrs Stearns and Leide have got off up to Boston and got to be so grand they have forgotten all about their old friend well it is nothing more than I expected now my good friend dont let any such notions creep into your head nor heart I know it has been a long time since we left you/but rest assured you are not forgotten if I have neglected to write it was not because I did not think of you often I wish you were hear with me this very minute for I am all alone Mother has gone to spend the afternoon with a cousin of mine we had a very pleasent journey when we came up, was not sick at all either of us but when I fainly got hear and the excitement was over I found myself about playd out I was sick for a fortnight Mother had been keepng house more than a week before I was able to get home then we had so much to do and have had/considerable company we have not found time to write I have just wrote for the first time to Julia I promised to write to her as soon as we got here so you see I have treated you as well as others. We are very pleasantly situated Mother is perfectly contented and her health is a great deal better than it was for a long time before we left Union, but not so with myself I dont think I feel as well in body, and I am very sure I dont feel so well in my mind. there has not been a day since I left Union but I have longed to go home it does not seem like home yet/I dont know when I shall get contented

 

I think sometimes of all that has been said be times I dont know as I ever want to get attached to another place. you know what I refer to dont you. have you heard any thing since I left do you have any vissions. now write and tell me every thing you can think of. do you go to any circles and how does the sewing Circle prosper give my love to Mr and Mrs Blackington and tell them I am going to write to them some time

 

you see I have filled one sheet and I have not said half I want to

 

it is almost dark the lamplighter is just lighting the street lamps in front of our house we have a very good tenament the greatest difficulty is it is up stairs we have a parlor and bed room and kitchen and pantry on one floor and two very pretty little attic chambers the water comes into the sink but we have to go down two flights of stairs into the cellar. it is quite country like here. it seems a good deal like a country village some diffirance of course the rail road/is only a few rods from here and it is only about five minutes walk to the horse cars. but O dear it costs so much to live in Boston people dont have any idea of it till they try it

now for something else

 

do you know any thing about Hat Wilson and her tribe she has not answered the letter I wrote her I am afraid we shall never see that bouquet if you know where she is please let us know and I will send her a line. how are your family do you hear from the boys often. O dear five hundred thousand more men/

 

[margin] Joseph has been drafted

 

when will this dredful strugle be over it seems as though it grows worse and more of it we have just had news of the death of a cousin of mine, after going through seven severe battles and coming out without so much as a scratch he was killed by a stray shot while lying behind there breastworks. All he said after he was shot was, “tell my mother” poor boy his last thoughts were of his mother; O how manny precious lives have been and still are being sacrificed evry day “for what?” I am some times a good mind to be a Copperhead I am sure I would if it would bring peace and harmony into our midst once more/I think I can hear you say what spirit of eavle has got posession of Leide now. O how I wish I could see you face to face I could explain myself

 

there I guess you will get tired of this so I will “lay up”

 

give my respects to enquiring friends [?] Maddocks folks if they don’t inquire. tell the old gent to make us a call some morning as he used to George is at work in Cambridge in a shop where they make army bedsteads he is well

 

            write me soon all the news you must excuse bad writing for I have written this part by day light and part by lamp light and part in the dark mother has got home she sends her love to you and wishes you could move in and [paper fold] I must close but if I should say all I would like to I could write all day long

 

                                                Good bye

                                                            from your true friend Eliza

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