Belinda Iowa July 3^d 1865

 

My Dear Husband

                                                            It is oppressively warm today too warm to work or play or do anything but paddle in water. Ollie has got her dress wet from top to bottom I always allow her to dabble to her hearts content such days as this. she went around entirely naked for an hour or two today Harv is plowing corn today. he has not got it plowed over once yet about the time it got dry enough to plow last week it rained enough to make the ground soaking wet again and when it had dried off again so that Harv thought he could plow Saturday it clouded up friday evening and in a short time the wind began to blow and the rain to fall in torrents. It just / poured down for about three hours. I recd letters no 21 and 22 last saturday. I have not had my plans so badly frustrated since you left home as when I heard that you expected to go to Galveston Tex. I now have but faint hopes of seeing you before late in the fall. Harv went to the P.O. today but we did not get any more news from the 34^th. I recd the "Art of chess playing, a Mobile daily news and another army and navy Journal. I expected to get a notice from the express office about that $200 today but it did not come. the mail comes down again day after tomorrow again and I think we will get it then. The mail comes down on wednesdy now instead of thursday. I do not like the arrangement very well for the week is too uneaqually divided, and besides, we take the semiweekly Hawkeye and it is published on monday wednesday / and saturday, and before they changed the time on the mail rout we would get it on monday and thursday and now we get both on monday and it is no better to us than the weekly would be. Harv Ollie and I were over to Dad's yesterday. Dad says there is two suppositions about so many soldiers being kept after the war is over. one is that they apprehend some trouble with the French in Mexico and the other that they want to keep them until after the election for they think that when they all come home they will see things differently from what they were allowed to see them in the army and so many change their their politics that the democrat party will carry the election. What a pack of heathens the soldiers must be to be sure! Tomorrow is the 4^th of July a few months ago I expected to be a happy woman on next independence / day. alas! how sadly am I disappointed I cannot help feeling really discouraged I have but one comfort and that is that if you escape all dangers they can keep you but a few months longer at the most and yet how long a few months will seem to all of us when the war is over and you are still kept away from home and friends. I will send you Ollies picture with this letter but not in it, for it is in a case. How does she look? I did not comb her hair before I left Pa's and did not even smoothe it after I took her to the artists room. Harv is going to plow corn tomorrow and I will have to take this letter to the P.O. and prehaps I will write some more after I go over there. Adieu for tonight. July 4^th. This is a bright beautiful morning I am at Pa's. They have got the flag up and it looks beautiful waveing in the sunshine but it waves over one sad heart at least. "Begone dull care" prehaps the next anniversary of our national independence will bring more joy to my heart than this bright morning has done. Pa says he wants you to look after his interests there and see that Coony does not lend his money to some one who would be poor pay. My Dear! I must bid you good by for this time. Your loveing wife, L. A. Reed

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