Dear cousin I snatch a few moments this evening to drop
you a few lines in answer to yours which I recd some time back
I hope you will excuse me for not writing sooner for I have been
very busy every day in the week and then of Sundays I have
something elce to attend to but I will try and be more punctual
in the future and one thing that make me delay writing
is because I have nothing new to write it is dull time up
this way now there are a great deal of sickness in this
neighborhood at this time J. H. Pool is improving some but very
Slowly charlie Duncan is very sick but some better than he has
been Berry and John Dill are gone up in the mountains to
hunt up Some men we are very uneasy about them because
we hear that the men go armed and Say they will kill
the first man that tries to take them off I think they are
worse than the yankees &c
cousin William you ought to come home to get some nice fruit
before it is all gone I eat of a very large water mellon to day
and thought of you Just as hard as I could I am going to put up a
lot of brandy peaches and I will save them till you come
home if you will promise to get tight on them What is
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cousin Davie a doing Since he got back to camps I reckon
he is grieving about his Sweet heart I heard that She cried
when She heard he were gone tell him not to pine away
I wonder how you and your Sweethear are getting along
I mean the one that I Selected for you I fear She dont
suit you if not I dont know what you will do for you are
so hard to Suit any way I Saw one of your old sweet hearts
last Sunday at Enoree Miss E. G dont you wish you had
been there I reced a letter from my d____g this morning
he were quite well but he is a long way from home
he is in Western Virginia near Salem
I have declined Sending you that ring I find that you
are too anxcious for it but I will make the hat for
you when you come home I have made fifteen
dollars this week working on hats but I never have
made but one gentlemans hat yet I made your
Sweet heart a hat last week I saw Mrs R yesterday evening
She Said you asked her for one of her girls when you was
at home and She told you to take one of them &c &c &c
nothing more this time Write Soon to your cousin Eliza