No 4

Belinda Iowa Dec 28^th 1862

 

            My Dear Husband

                                                The last letter I rec'd from you was written at Helena Dec 4^th and although I expect to hear from you tomorrow I will have to write today and send the letter to the P.O. tomorrow morning or go and take it myself. We have had a great deal of rain here lately We have had no snow and not much cold weather yet. Christmas is over but it was a dull Christmas for us. it rained all the fore noon and in the after noon Harvey and I went over to Pa's. it commenced to rain again about dark and rained nearly all night. Melissa and I tacked my comforter while I was there. Harvey brought the bees and sled home. he wanted the sled to haul shock corn with he hauled all day yesterday and has got the calf-shed fixed and feed lot made and has got the calves up they have been runing in the field ever since we have been over here and they are all as fat as they can be. Harv has seven mink traps set but has not caught any since the first night after he made the traps he caught one and we sold the skin for $2.00. There was a man come here and said that he would give him $2.50 apiece / for all that he would catch from now until the first of February and they are paying $3.00 now Harvey says that he cannot make it pay at that for it has been good weather for two weeks and he did not catch any. The Methodists have had a great time at the north school-house I guess they got over twenty new members, or I had better say young members, for the majority of them are children. Jim Molesworth got so happy two or three times that it took two men and Mead to hold him Ma and Jeny Melissa Ira and Cyrus were there last monday night and they could hear him (Jim Molesworth) yelling until they got nearly home. Mead was down to the mourners bench every night for about a week but she could not get religion until one night they took two preachers home with them and had a prayer meeting and they all four got to shouting John Strong got very happy one night and went to Ira and asked him if he dident feel good Ira told him that he felt jolly. I quit writeing to get dinner, and just as I got dinner Harv fixed the old swing with a rope and they all had a good time swinging, but I had a faint recollection of last summer when we were at Desmoines, and my experience, and very prudently kept out of the swing. I enjoyed myself however watching the rest swing 

 

            When they started home it was nearly sundown, and I am writeing after night. Harv has gone up to Taylors to get Frank Smedley to help him with the hogs tomorrow. he is going to take them to John Smith's and from there they are all going to take them to Davises and the man that is buying them will get them there I guess we will have to take two cts per pound at last. We got two and a fourth for three that we let Fleck have. Mother is some better. she took a relapse last week but I guess that she is getting along very well now Ann Litton has been staying there nearly a week. I must tell you about a scrape that Pap and Harv had last week. Harv went down the branch one morning to set mink traps and found Pap down there makeing traps. Harv said that he would go down below the lower ford and set his. Pap told him that if he set any between there and where the branch comes in from Louis Stott's he would throw them every one in the creek. Harv told him that if he did he would throw all of his in too and Pap said if he did he would thrash him. Harv come home then but when he studied it all over it made him mad and he said that he would go and set some any how. he went down again and set two. Pap said that if he wanted to live / as they always had done he must take his traps away from there. Harv told him that he dident care a cent for the traps but he would not knock under that easy. Pap told him that he was going to pop him through about that partition fence he asked Harv if he would acknowledge that he had done wrong if mother would say so. Harve told him that he would. They both agreed to leave to mother and Harv went up there that night and mother did just as I expected she would she said that they both did wrong. Pap told him that he would give him until New-Years to fix the fence. he has not fixed it yet and he says that he is not going to until he gets ready. I do not know how they will come out about it. Pa got your old hat and is wearing it he says it is a very good fit. Cyrus was down here the day after Christmas and killed two squirrels he is going to come down New Years and he and Harv are going to have a hunt. I will not write any more now, but believe me

 

                                                                                                Your devoted wife

                                                                                                                        Louisa Reed

SOURCES