7 March 1897 Letter from James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Robert S. Hendrick, 11/2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. ================================================================================= 7 March 1897 Letter from James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Smith became the Union Parish Clerk of Court in 1879 and served until 1900, when he resigned to serve as a Louisiana State Senator. Smith had courted Slaton prior to his marriage to May Olive Kidd in 1885, but May had died in February 1895. Smith and Slaton married in January 1898. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== James M. Smith Sr. to Eva Slaton - Addressed c/o Miss Carrie Manning, Ruston, LA) ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Jas. M. Smith, Clerk Edward Everett, Deputy Clerk's Office Parish of Union Farmerville, La March 7, 1897 My darling, sweet little girl, Your long expected letter came last Tuesday evening and to say that it made me glad & happy, but poorly expresses my feelings. The truth is darling that when out of your presence your letters afford me more pleasure than all things else. I have been so anxious to write you since it came knowing that you felt anxious about my health, but it just seems that everything has prevented me doing so. Bro. Wharton & Alice are visiting us, besides other company during the week & of course my time to a great extent, when not busy in my office, has been spent in entertaining. It has worried me no little that I have not been able to write you sooner. I could not have written you this afternoon had I not invited Bros Wharton & Smith (2 preachers) to visit Bro Everett & after staying a short while I excused myself & left them there & am now in the office writing to my little darling. I was very sorry I wrote you that I was not well after think-ing over the matter, fearing you would feel anxious about me. I am glad to tell you that I didn’t have Lagrippe, but had a slight cold & am perfectly well & would feel first class in every respect if I could only see my precious little girl. Yes darling, if I could only be near you all the time & receive your magic touch, like unto the touch you gave me that night I don’t think I would ever be sick. Dearest you are no *“common mortal”* in my eye, but a very *extraordinary one* - the embodiment of all that is pure, sweet and lovely in woman- the quintes-sence of perfection to me. Yes dearest, I think *sympathizing with you* & thinking of you so much, was the cause of my indisposition, kinder *love-sick* as it were, was about all there was the matter. It seems that I am still afflicted with that ailment & I fear that it will continue to trouble me for some time, for you know heart disease is very hard to cure especially an extreme case like this. Darling you have *no idea* how impatient I get waiting for your letters. It is always a *very great disappointment* to me when I feel sure I will get a letter from you & receive none-it gives me the blues. I think now you ought to write me at least twice a week. It seems so long between your letters. I think Mr. Ed Everett’s girl writes him 2 or 3 times a week & you know it makes me feel *badly & lonely* when he gets so many to my one & kinder makes me think may be his girl thinks more of him & loves him better than mine does me. Don’t you *reckon she does*? Dearest, it fills my heart to overflowing with joy and thankfulness that my sweet little angel is improving so fast & will soon be fully restored to perfect health again. I am glad you are taking such good care of yourself & *you must continue* to do so until you entirely recover. You ask me how long it would be necessary for *me* to know before the fixed date of our marriage. I reckon 4 to 6 weeks would be long enough for me. Darling in asking you in my letter prior to this, when it would suit you for us to marry, I did not intend that you name the exact date (but wait till we meet to do that), but just give me some idea about the time, whether say April or May or early in Sept. of course it will suit you I prefer to marry sometime this Spring. Give me some idea if you can, even if it is only within a month or 2 of the time we decide. If nothing prevents I want to visit you the last of this or 1st of next month & then we will fix the date. You ask me *“why not be your sweet heart one year longer”.* Why darling I hope to be *your sweet heart for all time*, our marriage ought not to prevent that. It ought to make us *doubly dear & sweet* to each other, if possible. It occurs to me my wanting you to *“get married”,* is the *very best evidence of how charming and sweet* I think you are & your wanting all the time to defer it for a year or more is the *very best evidence* to me that I am not *so charming to you* as *you are to me.* Don’t you think this good, sound reasoning? Darling I have gotten to the point I don’t care much if the people do suspect our marriage. Let them suspect on. They are going to be guessing at it all the time – first one then another & you can’t help it.they are bound to take a hand in such things, so don’t let it worry you any. I am bound to see my sweet little girl the last of this month or 1st of next if possible. It just seems that I can’t wait no longer. Every day seems a week & a week a month & will continue so until I see you. I have only had about one short hour to write this & being almost dark must close & go home & look after my guests. How I wish my sweet little girl was with me to assist in their entertainment. I know she could do it royally much to their pleasure & comfort & for excelling her boy. Now see *how soon you* can write me a *long sweet* letter & *don’t wait so long.* That was a *mighty sweet “goodbye”* you sent me *& sweet little* ----------- & hand shake too. *I can receive it better when I see you* although much appreciated now. With a lot of love & many -------------- Yours Devotedly, James ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Mr. Smith underlined many words in this letter. The underlined words are those enclosed between * *. ##################################################################################