Saturday, December 8, 2012

Postmark July 6, 1899


Orange Springs
July 4

My Darling

Your letter recd today.

No Nelly it isn’t because I am not well that I have been writing short letters.  I have always been a mistery to myself but in this case I think I understand.

I have always been of a disposition to strive to succeed in everything I undertook but have fallen short quite a number of times.  Then I’m disappointed & when I’m disappointed I can but show it.  Such is the case now.  

When I left you I felt sure I’d see you in two weeks.  Now I feel sure it will be two weeks longer.  Of course for this you are not to blame & I am ashamed that I wrote you so often to come knowing when I was writing that you couldn’t come until you were ready.

All last week I was in good spirits thinking I’d see you soon & the short letters were written after all hopes had vanished.  Consequently I could but feel disappointed & my letters in spite of me would show it.  I’ve always been that way & can’t help it.  Failure at any thing makes me wear a long face & worried appearance.

Yes I love you & have put up with all your ever done me & darling had I not known I loved you the diamond today would have been in Mrs. Mcdonalds flower yard.  There isn’t many girls in this old world that ever spoke to me as you did & then have my arms around them in 30 minutes time but this is past.  Why mention it again.

It’s ok about your telling her about my throwing the ring.  I guess she knew something was wrong the afternoon I sent for you.

I could have gone to see you this week if you couldn’t come home had I not made on that sad afternoon a solemn vow to my God never to go to that dear place again unless my business called me there or unless I was specialy invited & I truly believe, that, is one vow I made my [illegible] that I’ll always keep & it hurts me to think of the affair and that I’d act so silly.

You aught to know that there isn’t anything here to interest you in a long letter.  I stay in store from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm from Monday to Saturday night.  You know all this & there is but little left for me know out side my work & don’t think I don’t love you when I send a short letter.

It has rained a little bit though the [illegible] reports a fine time & plenty music & ect.

There’s to be a dance out at Mrs. L. Friday eve and written to Guy to come stay over night with me but don’t know if he will come.

Right here this afternoon a man came in & told me he wanted to buy some cows and he had the cash to pay for them.  The word cash startled me for a moment & then I remembered a man that had owed me (or [illegible] Brother) for a piece of land sold him 3 years ago.  Wanted us to take some cows for $50.00.  So I told him I had the cows & had my horse hitched up & away we went.

I found as soon as I got there that the man didn’t care whether I took the cows or not as he wanted to owe me longer & I couldn’t Jew him so I actually turned to the other fellow & I sold him $50.00 worth of the cows at what I paid for them & all I had to handle or do in the trade was to take the money.  So now I sit here with the cash in my pocket writing to my darling sweet Nellie.  It’s 11:00.

Dear I would tear up first of this letter as I am ashamed of it as its so gloomy & this part now seems so cheerful but I’ll let it go to show to you the different effect failure & success have on me.  Had I failed to sell the cows I know I would have written a gloomy letter sure enough.

Darling did I tell you what Pa said Sunday? – Ha Ha He said you were going to teach school in Ga this summer & asked Kate if that wasn’t what Guy said.  Of cours Miss K didn’t know.

Gee whiz I didn’t say anything but I came near telling him you’d teach at the Old Globe if you taught any where but I didn’t.

Now he’s a dandy isn’t he!!

Now you talk about yarns of all kind we told them Sunday as we had lots of time together & I told lots more than we both know.

He promised to come to see me this week but hasn’t come yet.

I told him Uncle Paxton told me to come home & go to work & he said he knew I was lying that Pax wouldn’t tell me any such.

Now hasn’t this been a glorious 4th.  You might say I made a good sale.  3 small Fla cows for $48 cash.

That’s better than an excursion to the beach or all kinds of picnics wasn’t it darling.

Well you should be with me tonight.  God only knows how I love you & appreciate you.  I can never act so you’ll think I love you half as well as I do because I am to stupid & let things worry me that doesn’t amount to a thing.

Sometimes I can imagine all kind of things as to what you are doing & why you stay away so long but when I come down to bolts I know there’s no foundation to any such ideas & I cast them aside.

I am glad my [illegible] thinks so much of me but for Heaven sake don’t because the fellow to come away down here to Ole Miss Kate.  I was teasing her because she didn’t acknowledge recpt of fan he mailed her but I am sure from what she said she doesn’t mean to acknowledge.  She is a charm isn’t she.  Do in every [illegible] to her warn her not to let a cracker like Glass get a heart from her as I have from you.  She deserves a good man and not a Fla. crock.

A lady told me today that now was the time to do our quarreling & not after we married as she & her husband quarreled all the time until they were married & then quit it for good.

I told her if we wasn’t doing it all now I pitied the after marry quarrel.

Then I told her I had just heard you were to teach school in Ga this summer & that we were broken up.
Yes dear you should take time as you say to prepare to give your whole life to me as that is what you wrote for I will always want you with me after we marry & you mustn’t leave me for even one day.

Glass must go to Nelly do pray that I may be a good boy until you get here to take care of me for God knows I want to be.  Then I’ll be in your hands & I know I’ll be.

Regards to all.

Lovingly yours always
Glass

No comments:

Post a Comment