White Sulphur Springs VA Aug 12th 1863
Sister Hattie
I will try and write another answer to yours
of 9th though I have answered it once
you say you are twenty five years old and
not one moments peace have you taken [since?]
well Hatt let your folks preach as
much as there a mind to you have a
number of chances to rid you self
of the clatter of tongues; you could
go to an nunery as you could [???]
up your head and tell your folks
to mind their own buisness or you
could get married I exspect if you
was in a great strait; but then you
say all the sensible fellows are gone
to war and you can’t think of having
them tip a bobs at home your case
is a hard one I must confess
but the best thing I can think of
is for you to renew your age and
[page 2]
wait until the war is over then you
can have your choise of the cripples
for there is thousands of them and then
there is some with broken down
constitutions but then there is some
that is Sound mind and limb
and good looking at that; I do hope you
will live through it and come out
bright in the spring Lieu Roberts
has resigned and will be at home bfore
this gets there I expect – Sis Hatt what
made Roberts say he would shoot
Mr. Maxey if he came to his house
again and then why did Mr M stop
until Robert and his wife had gone
to church and then came stalking
up through the pasture and across
the rail road to se Nell and their
cat and run when he se Roberts
coming home; it looks bad that does
I hope you won’t do so; I should
rather you would go to a nunery
[page 3]
(I want you to answer them things)
spike is well and so is George Soule
and Aaron Hodgden but poor
Morgs bean looks bad but then
I gues he will get well by and by
Dr [Cally?] is well I saw him a day
or two since A Brackett has
gone to his Regt
I am well and hearty and can eat all
the green corn I can get hold of I had
corn for diner I wnt undertake
to tell you how much I eat but it
was a pile you will say we stole it
no we didnt eather we took it
we never steal eny thing but we
take eny thing we can get hold of
that we want and some things that
we don’t want I got a nice spring
bead that I took out of a Rebs house
I didn’t steal it eather Hatt
give my love to all Friend and take a
large share your self
[page 4]
be a good girl and write often
to your Brother David V Lovell

P S Tell Mary I got a letter from
her yesterday of August 2nd and 4th
was glad to hear from her hope she
will write often tell her I had
rather have them Postage stamps
she sent me then five dollars in
money tell her to send me the
Trans script as often as she can
if Addie gets eny sense write to me
every day not stop until she is
dead and buried before you let
me know eny thing about [?] you
would not like it if I was sick
if I didnt let you know every
thing about it until I was under
ground and then somebody would
let you know it good by for this
time D V Lovell