Belinda Iowa Feb 16^th 1863

 

            My Dear Husband

                                                After a very long delay I will again attempt to write you a few lines to let you know that I have got able to write once more. I have got letters very regular from you since I have been sick and you can scarcely imagine what a consolation this has been to me during my illness I suppose that you have received Cyrus's and Mary's letter informing you of my removal to Pa's you may think that this was a very dangerous undertakeing; but I had been haveing chills and fever for two weeks and during all this time I did not have any appetite at all. I became so reduced that I could scarcely sit up long enough to have my bed made and before I knew what was the matter the baby was nearly starved. I had to pay $1.25 per week to a girl for staying with me and it was impossible for me to get one that was experienced enough to take the right kind of care of baby and myself Ma stayed with me until she nearly laid herself up. I did not have a good bed for her and she / had to be up so much at night with the baby that she said she could not stand it and if I was over here then she could take better care of me and Mary could take care of the baby. It will be a week tomorrow since I come over here and I have not had a chill since and I believe that if I had staid at home that I would not have been any better yet, for our house is very open and it would have been impossible for me to have had the care that I have had here. I am able to sit up nearly all day but cannot walk about yet. Pap said that if they moved me it would be my last move and they would have to bury me in less than a week. I hope however that this will prove as false as his predictions generally do. As soon as he heard that Jim Long had deserted he said that it would not surprise him to see you coming home any day The baby is getting fat since I came over here but she is very cross and I am afraid that she is going to be troublesome. I think however that she is somewhat spoiled now I wrote a few lines the day after she was born and sent in one of Jim's letters requesting you to send her a name but I suppose that you never got it. I think that Olive is a very pretty name / and Mother said that you liked it. I want you to tell me whether you like it or not. I will send you some of her hair. I do not know which side you call the big mouthed side (for there are big mouths on both sides) but she looks enough like you for you to claim her anyhow. I know that you will look over all mistakes and believe me

 

                                                                        your loveing wife

                                                                                                L. A. Reed

 

Dear brother Ene        As Loo has left a little space I will fill it up. I guess you would like to know how they moved her over here. Pa and Cyrus and took the sled and put the wagon bed and cover on it, and covered Loo up head and ears and carried her out bed and all and put her in the sled and fastened the cover down at each end and she never saw day light until we got her in this room, (the east room down stairs) She has been gaining ever since she has been here. We are going to keep her here until she gets perfectly well. We just now weighed the little chap, it weighs eight and a half pounds.

 

I received a letter from Jim this morning He said he was still getting better, (that is his knee) but he cant walk any on it yet.

 

He requested me to write to you to see Gardner and get his (Jim's) descriptive roll. He said he said he had lost his knapsack containing his dress coat, one shirt one pair of drawers and one pair of socks, and his gold pen. He said for you to roll the pen up in a newspaper and send it to me, and to do what you thought proper with the other things he left in his knapsack. You can ta will know his coat by it being lined in the back, and an inside pocket in the breast.

 

Tell Coony that Ira has that speach on "Tuch us lightly time," commited to memory and he is going to speak it at their great exibition at Columbia the twelfth of next month

 

Tell him to try and write us a few lines and send in your next letter

 

Pleas excuse all mistakes and poor writing for I have poor paper and pen, and both of the babes to take care of.

 

Give my respects to all of my acquaintances and believe me your well wisher

                                                                                                            Mary A. Harden

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