Bertie County NcArchives History - Letters .....Urquhart, Richard - Kate Fenner Jan-Mar1915 1915 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mollie Urquhart murquhar@bellsouth.net January 9, 2010, 4:32 pm Letters between Richard Alexander Urquhart (1889-1947) and Kate Nelson Fenner (1890-1956) [January 12, 1915] [Woodville] My own dearest Kate – 820 and raining some kinder hard and my Sweetness is just about getting home. This is one time I hope Fletcher will meet you if you are having the rain we are getting. We came home in a hurry and just as soon as we got the car in the house it began to pour down. I haven’t half way realized yet that my Sweetness is gone and won’t till I get in bed and cover up my head and then I’ll have the blues worse than ever before. I know I won’t ever go to sleep for thinking about my Sweetness and wishing I could be with her tomorrow. I’m going to get up in the morning and eat breakfast right quick and run up town and tear up everything in the Bank and put it all together again. By that time my sweetest letter in the world will come and I can live the rest of the day on that. I won’t even try to tell you how happy I was with you here cause I can’t. Just picture your idea of heaven and add a billion tons of happiness to that and then you won’t know half way how happy you make me. It all seems like one sweet dream a million years too short. I can’t be any happier or love you any better when I get you forever (but I’ll love you just as good all the time). And I’m going to do everything in the world for you cause I do love you so good. As I said I’m going to try to get things straightened out by the 23rd and we will have that long-distance conversation. Evie asked me four times coming home “Alex, tell me, were you really going to kiss Kate if I hadn’t looked around?” I’ll go down in the morning and get your coat and overshoes and send the overshoes to you. I don’t know whether I can wait till the 23rd to bring the coat or not. Pray for me Sweetness and know I love you and worship and think about you and love you and love you every single second. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – [January 13, 1915] [Woodville] Tuesday Night My own dearest Kate – I have worked harder today than ever before in my life trying to find a cure for the blues but I nearly died anyhow. If my sweetest letter in the world hadn’t have come I know I would have gone crazy. It was mighty sweet in you to write when you were so tired but may be that letter saved you from being a widow. If anybody every died from missing anybody I came near it today. Last night it wasn’t so bad cause I couldn’t sleep and . . . [page missing …] . . . sleep and are writing me a long letter tonight. How’s my fever blister and what did they say about it? So the Widow thought you ought to have given me a parting kiss. I wanted one that would last from Kelford to Wilmington. I’ll bet the next time I see Evie the first question she’ll ask will be was I really going to kiss you if she hadn’t looked around. The poor creature had another weeping spell about Lalla on the way home last night. I told Cobb about it and he said I ought to have gathered the poor dear in my arms and tried to soothe her and allay her tears. Cobb is making another struggle to get out and shook a ten spot in my face for a bet this afternoon but I told him I had reformed on betting over a quarter at the time. He says if he can get out he is going to renew the old flames with the Washington Lady when she comes in February. The Lord help him. He asked me did I care and I told him only so far as I hated to see a good fellow get in trouble. I know you miss Little Sister aside from the extra work. Tell her we are surely going to have the Easter Dance regardless of roads, weather, and everything else. And explain to Harry about my not writing to him sooner and tell him to come any time and stay as long as he will and we will all be glad to have him. Did you tell Mrs. Fenner how good I love you? Bet you didn’t. I’ll swear I believe I love you better than any man ever loved a woman. I Know I do. I’m going to make some plans between now and the 22nd. Write me a long letter Sweetness and know I’m thinking about you every second. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [January 15, 1915] [Woodville] My own dearest Kate – I was waiting for my sweetest letter again today and it brought its usual happiness but even that won’t enough to drive away the blues cause I miss you so bad. Home don’t even seem like home now. I was talking to Mr. Bazemore, across the way, this morning about the big freshet in the River destroying some of his cotton and peanuts along with the war, etc., and remarked that it was enough to give a man the blues. He replied, “God I totes dem all the time,” and I was glad I saw him for his expression and the pitiful way he said it was a perfect picture of myself since you went away. The harder I work the more I think about my Sweetness and wish you were here and I’m not happy at all till I get the old calendar each night and mark off a day. Supper was late tonight and I couldn’t wait so I marked it off before Supper. I’ll be so happy when I do see you we can’t make any plans at all cause I can’t talk about anything but how good I love my sweetest girl in the whole world. I phoned Evie that you left some clothes and I would come and get them and send them to you but she said she loved you so good she preferred to send them herself. She said she would get them off on today’s mail but I doubt it. I’m sorry the widow has such a bitter outlook on the world and life but I guess the world is just handing back to her the forced smile she’s been giving it so long. I think the wedding is a convenience proposition on her side and Fred has decided his hair is turning and it’s time to marry somebody. I don’t guess anybody will accuse us of any such things, will they sweet? Might accuse me of loving you too much. But I’m glad I do love my Sweetness too much cause I love to love you. I won’t write more tonight. Know I think about you every second and love you and worship you. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [January 18, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I’m so sorry after my trying to write you such a nice letter that I ruined it by telling you about the twenty-second an kept it from curing your blues. But I believe you decided to take the sensible view and decided you were glad Sat. was the twenty-third. I’ve been almost halfway trying to make myself believe that you would come up Thursday night and stay over but I’m scared to hope for I don’t like to be disappointed – especially about your coming or about anything else concerning you. So you are still taking dinner up town, are you? That’s all right. I took a nice walk with my Honey this afternoon if the chief topic of discourse was Alex. Fletcher says he’s going to offer you the Cashier’s place in his bank and wanted to know if I though you would be worth twenty-five dollars per to him. He says he knows you wouldn’t be worth any more for you’d be stuck around home all the time. I really do think Mr. Cobb has a chance to “get out” now if he wants to and will do it right away for Lila’s cousin (Mrs. Campbell) was in here this afternoon talking about Lila’s trip to Richmond and how many beaus she caught. Said she was crazy about a doctor up there and that her cousin was crazy about him too. I asked when she and Mr. Cobb were going to be married and she said Lila said never for Tom was broke. Said she was doing some kinder dressing and looked might good. So old Billie stole the march on you, did he? I heard either Anna May or him say while I was there that they were going to Norfolk Wednesday but I didn’t pay much attention to them. I know that will be a nice trip in a car if the weather is good for the roads are right good between here and Chapel Hill. Wish old Burges would get his sporting blood up and carry me up there this spring. Hope you got up a good excuse tonight so you didn’t have to go to “Big Heavy’s” and are writing me a great long letter. I’ve got the best excuse in the world to keep you from Hill’s Ferry. Simply I don’t want you to go. Ain’t that good enough? Course that won’t be very valid in Jarl’s eyes or the rest of that crew so you’ll have to fix up a nice tale for them. Maybe by then the report that you are reformed will have become generally believed and they won’t even expect you. I’m sorry you didn’t like the “spun candy” for I know it was good – she really is a good cook and a good girl (one of the ninety-nine – or the hundredth, I should say) and you all ought not to talk about her like you do. She’s just the kind not to care though, even if she heard all you said. But you can come on up here just the same when she makes her threatened visit. Haven’t heard from Little Sister except just a note but I know she’ll have a good time. She and Sister will plan the wedding a hundred different ways before she gets back. The widow really is going to Norfolk to be married but is going to Baltimore before to get some finery so when you hear she’s gone North you may look out for the wedding. I know all the ladies down there are having a good time discussing the wedding. Margaret and Sallie said they were going to tour the town and examine trousseaux and then they were coming up here to examine mine. Wish you would find out if Margaret would come up here to the concert Thurs. night. I want her to come for I know she would enjoy it but I don’t want to keep setting days for her to come and forcing her to make excuses. If you think she could come I’ll write to her right away. They say the river is falling so I hope your old friend Stag didn’t drown. I wouldn’t care so much if some of your other friends did go under. Ain’t that a nice Christian spirit. Has Miss Lou become more resigned to moving? I think it’s a shame she has got to move since she feels so bad about it and I don’t blame her for fussing. I’d be tickled to death though if I could live within a mile of here. Sister says she wouldn’t live here amongst us now with Wallace for anything for she knows we would be forever picking him to pieces and she would always be mad. She pictures us as being a very critical crowd towards our in-laws, doesn’t she? Reckon my Friday night letter is about long enough so I’m going to quit and save some thing to write Sunday night. Wish tonight were last Friday night but a week from tomorrow night ain’t more than a month off and maybe you’ll decide to dance on up Thurs. and it won’t even be a month off. You’d better not cut my letter short tonight just cause you went to a blooming old Club meeting. Don’t forget to try to find out if Margaret would come up. With all my love, I am Your own always, Kate. Friday night. [January 20, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I washed our hair this morning and went to Sunday School this afternoon and took cold and now am drawn almost double from pain so if your letter is suddenly cut short you may know I’m dead and can’t write more. My hair was so dirty I just had to wash it and I knew it was an all day job so took Sunday to do it when there wasn’t any work at the office to do. Of course I couldn’t do it next Sunday (cause I’m going to have company) so today was my only day. Mama told me not to and now I’m sick the only soothing words I get from her are, “I told you so.” I told her ‘twas going to Sunday School that gave me the cold. Course ‘twasn’t that though so don’t you think you can use a cold excuse (or any other excuse, either) for staying away from Sunday School since I eavesdropped you last Saturday. I wished for you a hundred times today to help me untangle this mess of hair for I had to do it all by myself. Mama and Harry were at the office and Miss Duck didn’t come till nine this morning so her hands were full. Talk about sleeping but I’ve done some of it for the last few nights. I went to sleep last night at nine and slept this morning till nine and did most as bad the night before. If there’s any beauty or virtue in sleep then I’ll be a queen by the time you get here. Hope I won’t get to yawning next Sunday night before nine for it would be a pity to make you leave before ten-thirty. I’m sorry you can’t come up Thurs. night but I really didn’t expect you so am not so disappointed. I hope Heavy’s party was a success and that you didn’t completely lose your heart there. Better let me know so I can start working on my Honey for I’m scared he might get too much in love up the country and then I couldn’t get him. He came around this afternoon and we sat here and condoled with each other because you weren’t here and it was too rainy for him to go up the country. I think I’ll practice up a little on Whist before I go down there again for it would kill me for my rival to beat me playing. She was most as bright as I was when she wanted to know if you could play Whist with set-back cards for I called diamonds squares. I really didn’t know one card from another till Margaret came up here last summer. She made me fall from grace. You said your vaccination had gotten well. Didn’t it take? I hope it did cause I don’t want to be a widow or have a husband all scarred up from smallpox either. It’s all around here now and I’m scared most to death. Our regent is going up to Washington tomorrow to be there Tuesday to help plead for the DAR School here so pray every day for it to be put here. Mama wants me to go to the general convention (DAR) to be held in Washington in April but I don’t think I shall go. She says she knows it’s my last chance and I really reckon it is. What you think about it? If I had my trousseau ready I might go up, but I wouldn’t think about going with anything short of one. I got your little note this afternoon (Mama forgot to bring it to me at dinner time) and if you don’t write me a great long letter tonight I’m going to write some short notes too. I just knew that old card club was going to be your excuse for not writing to me half way decently. I always did despise old cards, anyway. Have you heard from Billie yet? I forgot to write Little Sister he was due up there and to look out for him. I know that’s the only way she’ll ever see him. I reckon she is having a right good time for Edward can be as nice as anybody when he wants to and I reckon Mr. Patten will introduce her to some nice boys. Mrs. Patten wrote me he had several picked out for me and to come on and look them over but I’m skeered he waited a little too late. I would like to run up there sure enough, but you said you didn’t have time to be going up there so I reckon I’ll have to stay at home. I’m crazy to go to the Summer School and I think you ought to take a course in something and go with me. Sister says she is going to take a few lessons in Domestic Science and I’m crazy to take the whole course. Mama says I’m a dunce to learn how to cook or to do anything else and that I had better forget what I know already. It wouldn’t take long. I reckon you are beginning to wonder what sort of letter I would write without a pain if I’m writing this much with one, but my pain’s most gone. Much obliged for being so concerned about me. It’s nice though, and I’m getting sleepy so I’m going up stairs. It’s raining like the mischief out doors and I’ll pray that it will stop before tomorrow so you won’t have a new case of blues. Write me a real sweet letter cause I might be sick tomorrow, sure enough. Mama says I am but I’m going to fight against it just to spite her and keep her from saying “I told you so.” What makes old folks love to say that, anyway? With all my love I am Your own always, Kate. Sunday night I wrote this with the fountain pen and am tickled to death with it. [January 20, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I can’t write much tonight, sure enough, unless the train is late for Mama wants me to go visiting with her after we open the mail. Leonard Rawls came through here this afternoon on his way to Enfield and came down here so I asked him to take supper with us. I couldn’t do anything, of course, till he got ready to leave on the last train so if your letter is too short, blame him and not me. I got the sweetest letter in the world on #80 if you did stay from Church to write it. I reckon mine to you last night was a mean one and I don’t care if it was cause I was mad and you said when I got mad to say so. After I wrote it I went home and went to bed and dreamed the most curious dreams about you and me. I haven’t asked Duck to interpret them to me yet but will tomorrow. The night before I dreamed we were married in a big Church in Mount Olive and I didn’t know a single soul in the bridal party but the groom – thought they were all your friends. And when we got out of the Church, Mr. Walter Small came up and said, “my deepest sympathy to you, Mrs. Urquhart.” Now aren’t dreams the most ridiculous things. The idea of my dreaming about Mr. Small when I met him about one time and have thought about him just about as many times since. Maybe old Evie will make a good impression on her pa-in-law and she and Buffet will make up again. The UDC celebrated Lee’s birthday today and we had real nice exercises at the Court House. We presented Zeb Vance’s picture to the school and Ashby Dunn from Scotland Neck was the speaker for the occasion. He made a perfectly splendid talk and we all enjoyed it so much. He is in love with Jeanette Daniel so I promised him I would have her down Thursday night and he could come up to take her to the concert. I was some kinder glad to get my letter this afternoon and if it hadn’t have come I ‘spect I would have done just a little thinking. I’m scared though I won’t get one in the morning and if I don’t I know I’ll be in a bad humor till eighty. And if one doesn’t come then may the Good Lord help the poor folks I have to live with till one does come. The train has come so I’ll have to stop now. Will write more tomorrow night if I can – will write just as much, anyway. With all the love in the world, I am, Your own always, Kate Tuesday night [January 21, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Night My own dearest Kate – I have been absolutely perfectly happy since I got my sweetest letter in the world today cause you talked so bad to me in yesterday’s letter I had been blue all day. I don’t think you ought to have cussed me out so bad cause I hadn’t done anything mean, just asked your permission, but I’ll ‘scuse you for cussing me cause I love you so good. I wish I was with my Sweetness tonight. I hope the play will be good and you will enjoy it. I don’t care so much about seeing it but if I could just be with you I’d be the happiest man on earth. Only three more days now but each one is longer than the other. It looks like you are beset with Woodville folks of late, Billie one day and Leonard the next. I’m mad with Leonard cause he made my letter heap too short. Burges eavesdropped Fred and the Widow on the phone this afternoon. Fred asked if she had been a good little girl and Burges couldn’t stand it any longer. He’s due here tomorrow for the weekend. He missed last Sunday and all the gossips had it he had weakened but he doesn’t seem to have been so lucky. The widow came over here yesterday and was in tears about her losses in Selma. When is Little Sister coming home? I’ve got some coupons for her and don’t know whether to send them to Chapel Hill or bring them with me Saturday. We haven’t heard from Billie yet so don’t know when to expect him. Margie Spivey’s vaccination took so good she can’t have the Card Club tomorrow night and I’m tickled to death. I hope nobody will be kind enough to have it in her place. Write me a long letter to make up for such a short one today. Know I love you and love you and love you. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [January 21, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, Your letter came this afternoon and the lost one in the lost package of letters. I was scared to death that it wasn’t in there and was beginning to feel as blue as indigo. To tell the truth I’ve been kinder blue ever since you wrote me about that old wheat till this afternoon and now I’m just as happy as I can be. You are the sweetest thing in the world to be persuaded by me when I’m so very narrow (in your estimation) but it won’t hurt you much to do like I want you to now for a while for you certainly have done like you wanted to long enough. Course I’m not saying you didn’t do exactly right – just that our ideas of right and wrong don’t always seem to agree. I hope you’ll watch the papers and notice what you would have lost on the speculation and tell me. I’m too busy now to read anything ‘cept my letters about a hundred times. We haven’t heard from Little Sister but once since she got to Chapel Hill and then she wrote they were all sick. Mama is about to have a fit about them. I think it’s Little Sister’s idea to stay up there till the first of next month but she may come home before then. I forgot to tell you in my letter last night how sorry I was that you were sick but I was just the same. I hope you are all right now. You didn’t say anything about being sick in your letter today. Did you ever get my lavender embroidered Hdk. [handkerchief] from the Church? If you haven’t I wish you would try to find it for me. It was a Xmas present and I think a whole heap of it. And don’t forget to bring my coat. I left about half of my belongings down there this time. Reckon I was trying to leave an excuse to get back right soon. Had a card from Evie written from Kelford yesterday saying she had sent my things I left there to the washer’s and would send them. Reckon she was over there with Mr. Berthea. I wish you could be here tomorrow night but I reckon it’s just as well that you are not coming (making a virtue out of necessity) since I’d have to be down here most of the time. The work isn’t hard at all, except Monday afternoons, but I hate for Mama to be by herself – The tobacco market closes in Rocky Mount in April and Brother is coming home then to stay a month or two. I’m going to put him to work down here and don’t expect to come down here a single time – ‘cept to ask for my mail. Mama is ready to go home so I’ve got to go too. Not but three more days now before Saturday night and I really believe it’s coming for it’s beginning to cloud up already. Hope it won’t be a mean old day. With all my love, I am Your own always Kate Wednesday night. [January 26, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I’m mad with you for not accepting Aunt Clara’s invitation to stay over with her today for I know you haven’t done a thing down there this whole day. She was real worried with you too for she said she had planned to have me down there and we could have had such a nice time. I didn’t even wake till twelve o’clock and Duck was scared to death about me. Mama said she came to her with eyes as big as saucers and asked her to go up to my room and see if I wasn’t dead for her right eye had been jumping all day and she knew it was a sign of somebody’s death. I reckon I would have been asleep till now if Mama hadn’t have called me to dinner. The first thing I asked was if you got off and they laughed and said I had gotten up at a good time to receive you. Mama and I went down to Aunt Clara’s after dinner and I heard a whole heap of nice things said about you. June Tillery said something real nice but I’m scared you’ll have the swell head if I tell you. You’ve just got to be good now and let Miss Carrie alone cause you’ve done made my Honey kick me and I won’t have anybody to go with while you’re going with her. He came down three times this morning asking for “his and Alex’s honey” and when he came this afternoon and found me he said he’d give up in your favor for he wouldn’t have a honey who would sit up the night long for two nights with the other man and then have to sleep all day. Said he wont going to never carry me to no more shows so you see you can’t carry anybody either. You write me when that old concert is going to be for I’ll vow I ain’t going to write to you that night and if you carry her and don’t write me I’ll find out and won’t write to you for a whole week. I’ll vow I won’t. I ain’t going to write any how if you carry her. I’m tickled to death over not having a fever blister today although Fletcher says ‘tain’t time for it to pop out. The funniest thing is that Mama has a big one and we are teasing her about it. It does seem that one of us has to have one after every one of your trips. Tell Margaret I’m tickled to death over her promised visit and to hurry and write me when she’s coming. I had a letter from Little Sister just now. She is coming next Tuesday. Aunt Florence Ricks from Mount Olive is coming up Saturday and of all planning of weddings we’ll have it then. Think I’ll tell her about my dream and kinder sound her on the subject. I thought I was going to write you a real sweet letter tonight but I feel bad and am mad with you so I ain’t going to do it. Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow night and feel more like writing it. You know I love you better than any thing in the world any way – don’t you? I reckon I’d better stop now before I start up a sho nuff love letter and have to be writing here all night. Hope you are writing me a million pages full of sweet things cause I’m blue tonight and want and need a real sweet letter. With all the love in the whole world, I am Your own always, Kate Monday night. [January 27, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, Your teeny tiny note came on eighty and I never was so glad to get anything in [my] whole life. I have read it a dozen times an tried to make myself believe it was a real letter – But I’ll forgive you for sending just a note since you were so busy yesterday and you promised to try to get a letter to me in the morning. I’m glad you really did leave to go home – since you went – for I had been half way fussing ever since Aunt Clara said she wanted you to stay over. Today has been another mean old day – just hasn’t rained and that’s all – but I’ve been sewing on the trousseau and thinking about you all the time so I’ve been comparatively happy. I used to say (before I got in love) that I knew I would cry every time I put a stitch in my wedding clothes but now all I’m trying to do is to make them just as good as I can so you won’t have to buy any in a long time. Ain’t I considerate? A lady came in here this afternoon and told me if I ever did have any sense to display a little of it now and not get married till the war was over. Thought I’d ask you what you thought about it. But we haven’t got any sense any more, have we? I wouldn’t hit any body who said I was crazy now. I think you are real mean not to set a day to come up here cause I have a whole heap of fun marking off the days. We DARs are going to have a Masque Colonial Ball the twenty second of Feb. and charge each couple fifty cents to come in and put the proceeds in our school treasury. I was told to write you to come up to it but I ain’t ‘less you’ll come Sat. night and stay over to it (Monday night). But you’ll come a long time before then and be ready to come again. Won’t you? I hope Margaret will be here then but I want her to come a long time before then. Company has come in and I can’t write to save my life so I’m going to stop for this time. Just know I’m here loving you and thinking about you all the time and counting on your being the sweetest thing in the world. With all my love, I am Your own Always Kate [January 27, 1915] [Woodville] My own dearest Kate – I was so tired last night when I got home that I didn’t write much thinking I would write again this morning but had so many things to do I couldn’t write. I got my feet wet yesterday afternoon and didn’t change shoes till I went to bed and I’ve been nearly dead with a cold today. Think you would have been a widow if I hadn’t have gotten my sweetest letter that ever was written in the whole world – I was as sick with the blues as I was with the cold till my letter came but I have been a thousand times better ever since. It’s useless to try to tell you how happy I was with you Sweetness and to say I miss you more than anything on earth doesn’t half express it. I don’t ever expect to be happy here at home anymore till I have you here with me – and then home will be a million times sweeter than any man’s home has ever been. I certainly wanted to accept Aunt Clara’s invitation to spend Monday with her and have you there but I felt like I ought to come home as I have got a lot of collecting to do for Mamma, and Jordan Bazemore was going to Norfolk Monday morning on the train I got off of and I wanted him to get my money from Cobb Bros. that you wouldn’t let me win a fortune with. It was good I came for I had to be here with Hoff about some Insurance collections. He was on his way to an Insurance Meeting in New York and begged me to go up with him. George was to join him in Richmond. ‘Twould certainly have appealed to me if I hadn’t been reformed. Hoff and I took dinner at the De La Bob and he and Miss Carrie fell in love with each other so I’ll have to resign. Sweet I’ll swear I think ‘twill be mean if you don’t let me take Miss Carrie to the show now I’ve promised. ‘Tain’t but about thirty feet from the Hotel to the School House and I’ll come home right after the show. I’ll get Cobb to go with us if you say so unless Lila is here. Poor Cobb got his sixth letter today since he has written. Lila is in Boykins now getting closer all the time. Sweet just let me take Miss Carrie this time and I won’t ask you any more (‘less you and your Honey take too many walks). I’m glad Little Sister is coming home. Tell her I say get her walking shoes on and I’ll save her a lot of coupons. Be sure to get on to all the wedding plans and tell me. Next time I come (and the Lord help it to be fair weather) we have just got to decide where and when we are going to get married. Sweet I love you too good to have to stay here without you and I want you right now. It sounded some kinder good to hear you say you loved me in your letter and now you’ve said it once you’ve lost your self respect so you might as well keep on saying so. I wish you knew how much I loved you, you do know in part cause that’s what makes my sweetness love me. Please write me a long letter and tell me all about my prettiest sweetest girl in the whole world. Know I am thinking about you and loving you and longing for you every minute. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [January 28, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I went to the Club meeting this afternoon and ate so much till I haven’t got sense enough to even think so if I write too much of a rambling letter just know what’s the matter. I got my sweet letter when I got home and was so sorry to hear you say you had gone and taken more cold and were sick again. I have begged you to take care of your self and stop taking those colds and if you don’t do it I don’t know what will become of you – and me. I’m going [to] leave you soon as you develop a good case of T.Bs. I got a letter from Evie this morning saying she couldn’t find my things I left over there and I’m distressed to death for one of the articles was Little Sister’s and I know she’s going to kill me. It may be that Anna May or Annie Dunstan made a mistake and carried it away but I’m afraid it was put in wash and the woman has stolen it. They never know what’s in wash and the woman knows it and can take advantage of them. Annie Dunstan’s contribution to the trousseau has come and I’m very much tickled. Glad you got your money from Cobb Bros. and hope they won’t have any more of yours anytime soon. Little Sister is coming home Tuesday, I reckon. Mama has gotten a man to make out our monthly report so she may stay up there longer. I want her to stay and am going to insist upon her doing so but I’m some kinder crazy to see her. She’ll have a plenty of marriage plans to tell me and if she gets right down after me to decide definitely I reckon I’ll wish she had stayed in Chapel Hill a while longer. I wish we had set a time (to tell the folks) when you were here. I had a letter from Aunt Florence this morning – a mile long – asking and telling me all about the wedding and wanted me to write her right away so that she could make her plans accordingly. She said announcement parties and showers were given six weeks and two months before the wedding and that she had to plan to be here to them and then come back to the wedding. That’s where we’re going to get in a mess if we aren’t mighty particular. I’m just telling them all that we haven’t decided yet but I can’t keep that up forever. I got a good scheme on hand to get my clothes before the real wedding date. Our Regent wants me to go to Washington to the National Convention as a page and Mama is dead in love with the idea. She says I can get the advanced style book and make most of my top clothes and then put them away when I get home and they will be new when we are married. I’m going to pretend I’m going and get the clothes. And I really may go for it’s quite an honor to be a page and the trip will be lovely. Can I go? Ain’t no boys up there. I reckon Miss Jennie is going and she can chaperone me all right. You should have gone on with your friends and proved to them how reformed you were and maybe you could have had some effect upon them. So you ate at the De La Bob, did you? That’s all right – just keep it up and carry your friend to the show too just as much as you want to and see if I don’t fix you. My going with Fletcher (even if I really did go with him) is a very different thing from your going with that kid and making a dunce of her – and you know it. You’ve already said they had it all over Lewiston once that you all were crazy about each other. But I’ve swallowed things lots worse than that so I reckon I can stand that, too. You write me if you take her cause I wouldn’t write to you that night to save your life. And if it’s on Sat. night – I ain’t to write you Sunday night. But that ain’t the way I’m going to fix you. Annie Groves has come in for me to help plan the Masque Ball so I’ve got to stop before I tell you how good I love you. Just guess it and guess a whole heap. With all my love, I am Your own always, Kate Wednesday night [January 28, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Night My own dearest Kate – I’m mad with the old “company” for having to come in and make my Tuesday night letter so short but ‘twas the sweetest letter that ever was written if it was ten times too short. I have missed my own prettiest sweetest Sweetness even more today than I did yesterday. I hate to hear about your working so hard even on the trousseau but if that will hasten the time when I will have you with me for always then I won’t object. You may have to do a little extra work for Evie told me today that the articles you thought you left there failed to come in in the washing. She said she had written you about it. She asked if you didn’t leave them here probably and I told her they hadn’t come back in my washing. Burges and Billie are down there now making candy again. The widow leaves for Selma tomorrow. I haven’t told her about forgetting to mail her letter but I’ve had to do some dodging to keep from talking to her. Mog is to entertain the Card Club tomorrow night in the widow’s place so she is about to work herself to death tonight preparing something for the crew. She and Sallie had a coaching class this afternoon for the bonehead players and Mog says they can’t learn. I think I’ll steal away and write to you while they are playing and get somebody to call me for the refreshments. The papers predict rain for tomorrow and I hope it will save up for tomorrow night and then pour down. I wish we could have one fair day cause I miss you enough when the sun is shining and nearly die on days like this has been. Sweet, hurry up and fix that trousseau and come and be with me for I just can’t stay here much longer without you. I want my own sweetheart every minute. Know I worship you and love you and need you and love you and love and love and love you. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [January 29, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I forgot to bring any paper down here today so I’ll have to write again on this old miserable stuff. I’m dead tired though, and can’t write but just a note, anyway. The DARs met in Enfield today and at the last minute they just made me go. I didn’t want to go a bit for I was already tired but they thought they wouldn’t have a quorum with out so off I went. Duck has gone off … to “take Xmas” so I had to cook before I left. We had a mighty good meeting and everything in the world good to eat – wish you could have been a Daughter just for today. The school teachers have gotten up a boy party for tonight but I’m going to bed just as soon as we get home. I promised to fix them a box but I’m too tired so I’ll just have to send them the worth of the box in money. I’m sorry Margaret is having such a time learning the boneheads. Tell her to keep on trying for I’m counting on her teaching me when she comes up here. It looks like it’s going to be a fair night for her party but this ground is some kinder soaked. I hope your cold is lots better and if it’s not you had better stay off this ground. After I went to bed last night I thought about what I had written you about carrying your friend to the “to do” and after thinking about how persistent you were I decided I’d tell you to carry her for I don’t want to embarrass you. You had no business telling her you were going to take her but since you did go on and do just like you want to. I won’t do a thing. I’ll declare I won’t. I can’t be any more miserable than I’ve been since Sunday night anyway, even if I knew you were up there every night, and if I didn’t love you better than anything in the world I know I’d hate you. But I do love you and don’t hate you and am just wishing for the time to come for you to come again so I can have a little settlement with you. Can’t write more for it’s time to go. Harry’s girl came today so reckon he’s happy. Hope I’ll feel better tomorrow night and be able to write you a decent letter. With all my love, I am Your own always, Kate Thursday night – [February 1, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, My sweetest letter in the world came this afternoon and it came in good time, too, cause I was some kinder tired and down and out when time for eighty came. It’s got some secrets in it though, and I’ve got to burn it and that’s ‘bout to kill me cause I love my sweet letters and love to read them, too, if they are old. I’ll be tickled to death to read your plans and if they don’t exactly suit us both maybe we’ll have sense enough when you come again to doctor them up and fix them like we want them. I don’t care much for it’s not going to be anything like I want it anyway – I mean anything like I had always thought I’d have. I reckon though, even if circumstances were entirely different and Mama at home and everything just like I wanted it that I’d want to do just as we are going to do. I believe the worry and anxiety over planning a wedding would put me in the bed and I’m tickled to death that you are going to plan it for what little thinking I’ve done has most put me through. Reckon I haven’t got much thinking capacity. I haven’t written Aunt F. but will some time tomorrow and tell her I’ve decided to just have a very quiet affair. And I’ll have to write Anna the same thing – I intended explaining to you, as well as I could, why I had to tell her but I forgot to. She wanted to be in the wedding (if I had a Church affair) and made me promise I’d tell her the minute I found I was not going to have one for she wanted to make other plans for her self. I’m sorry Margaret couldn’t come. Tell her I say if she ever decides she wants to come up just to pack her trunk and come on for I’m not going to ask her anymore less I change my mind (which I shall always cherish as one of my most valuable women’s privileges). The DARs met today and we had a mighty good meeting. I was charmed with our Regent elect – Miss Rodman from Washington, N. C. We all planned to meet in Washington in April and Waynesville in Sept. Going to let me go? I’m sorry you had to work so hard and cuss so much yesterday but that was better (‘cept the cussing) than sitting around half dead. I’m some kinder sorry my note started on the train didn’t materialize for I wanted it yesterday if I ever wanted one in my life. Just cuss that old drummer out for me if you ever see him again. Billie is a curious creature, isn’t he? Maybe he decided to just give it to Sallie and he’d stay on with you all. But the Victrola can never touch our “Inner-player” not “player piano” and our singing. You’ve just got to go over to Mr. Gary’s the next time you can and hear his. Uncle Johnnie is tickled to death over their weather and is getting his peanuts off right along. You are credited with bringing the good weather and I’m some kinder glad for he blamed you for bringing so much rain. I hope you are getting a whole heap of sleep these nights for you need to sleep – judging from myself. I’m going to try to get a little tonight for our club meets tomorrow and I’ve promised to help and I know I’ll be tired. After tomorrow I’m not going to do a thing but sew in the day time and write to my old man at night. That’s enough to do any way, ain’t it? I saw Fletcher this afternoon for the first time and he was very nice and didn’t have much to say about Sunday. Reckon he knew I was guilty and decided he’d spare my feelings. I’m writing this at the office and Mama is ready to go. They have decided to have the DAR dance in Enfield and I have about decided not to go. I don’t think much of the crowd down there – between you and me. I may have to go down to help fix though. Harry said you were certainly coming up and for me not to make a date with any body else. Don’t know whether he’s working for you or whether he really expects you. It’s to be Friday night so you’d better get right. I love you mighty good tonight but I ain’t going to tell you about [it] – With every bit of love in the world, I am Your own always, Kate [February 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, This has been the longest old day in the world for I haven’t even had a line from you when I wanted a letter so bad. But I know I’ll get one tomorrow and that you would have gotten one to me today if you could have so I’m not going to have the blues a bit. I haven’t had much time to have the blues today any way, for I’ve been to Church four times. Went to a funeral at ten this morning at our church and then to hear Mr. Joyner from Littleton at the Episcopal Church at eleven, to Sunday School at three, and then to preaching again tonight. I’ve been some kinder good, haven’t I? And I’ll bet that you haven’t even seen inside of the Church. I’ll make you make up for lost time, all right, so you needn’t be so particular about losing so much. I was some kinder glad to get my long sweet letter yesterday afternoon. You were just as sweet as you could be not to go to the show – if you didn’t go on my account – but really I had just about decided I didn’t care so very much if you went. Don’t know what made me feel so glad when I found you didn’t go. Write me what Burges had to say about it and that you aren’t so very sorry that you didn’t go. I don’t blame old Evie for exclaiming over entertaining such a bunch of card players, especially if she had to feed them like Margaret did. We have about twenty-five DARs and they are a bunch to entertain – especially for dinner. We went down to Enfield on the eleven-forty-five train and came back on eighty at five. We haven’t but two members in Rocky Mt., so we never meet down there but I’m going to have your engaged picture made before we become disengaged. That’s a terrible word to mean married, ain’t it? I saw Harry in Church tonight for the first time since I got your letter but failed to ask him about the Cosmopolitan ? Magazine. ‘Fraid he won’t recognize the one you left by that name so I’ll just ask him to send you the one you left. Wish I had thought of it, would have borrowed it and read that story you were so interested in. Harry’s girl is still here and I think she intends spending next week here. Aunt Florence decided not to come up just at this time. Think she decided to wait and come up to the showers and receptions. If we don’t have a big Church wedding (and we ain’t) you won’t have very much trouble keeping me down there for I’ll be afraid to come home. I’ve decided a big wedding is fun for the boys but death to the frogs. I don’t know when Little Sister will be here. She never writes. I had a card from Wallace yesterday in reply to one I sent her Friday telling her I would have the report made if she wanted to stay longer, saying she was going to stay a while longer. Don’t know how long a while is. We had quite an excitement at the Post Office yesterday. Two negros broke into the station waiting room where the parcel post mail bags from the eight o’clock train are kept at night and stole two bags. We know who the negros are but are waiting for the Inspector to come. They were drunk and carried them to their father and he got scared to death and brought them to Mama. I’d hate to be in their shoes cause Uncle Sam is a bad old man to fool with. That was a great wedding feast Burges went to but just so you weren’t there I won’t care so very much. Mama told Uncle Johnnie to get her jug out of the depot yesterday – I wanted to be a true Carrie Nation and swash it up but Papa and Uncle Johnnie wouldn’t let me. I haven’t been vaccinated yet and won’t if you’ll promise to come up here and nurse me in case I have small pox. I was vaccinated last summer but I’m afraid it didn’t take. I know that barber down there must feel like the biggest idiot on earth if he really does have to lose his leg. Hasn’t this been the grandest afternoon? I just wished for you to be here so we could take a great long walk. You never have seen our pretty scenery around here. Reckon I’ll wait till spring to show it to you since I’ve waited this long. Everybody is crazy about the scenery around Quankey when the mountain laurel is in bloom in the spring. I’m not going to write more tonight for I want to go to bed early and be ready for the work tomorrow. I could write all night cause I love you mighty good tonight but I’ll stop and finish tomorrow night. With a heart full of love, I am Your own always, Kate Sunday night [late January, 1915] [Woodville] Monday Night My own dearest Kate – My letter today seemed sweeter than any one I have ever gotten, may be ‘twas cause I hadn’t had one in so long or may be cause I love you a little more but ‘tain’t possible to love you any more than I have been. For I love my Sweetness all in the world. You didn’t say anything about your throat so I know it is well and I’m so glad – Don’t get my big toe wet or cold any more cause you’ve got to sing to me and you can’t do it with a sore throat. It’s raining again tonight and there is only one way to keep dry feet now and that is wear boots. I hope it will keep on raining till after the Ground Hog time is past and then fair off. I’m not much on signs but I’d believe most anything to have some fair weather. I miss my own sweetest girl on earth enough when the sun shines but these clouds get me. You were mighty good to let Little Sister stay at Chapel Hill. I hope you did really get somebody to make out the reports and didn’t do it yourself. I have been making out Insurance Reports all day and about ninety-nine percent of it red tape. I hope the new Insurance bill before the Legislature will eliminate monthly reports but I guess if there’s any way to do it the Legislature will make them bimonthly. I’m kinder interested in the Anti-jug legislation, just to see how the sentiment in the State is – Old man Jim Urquhart wrote the other day that drunkenness in New York was very much on the decline and a prohibition wave seems to be sweeping the entire United States. I don’t care myself, do I Sweet? Our cook leaves tomorrow for a week’s visit to her relatives in Hamilton – I’ll miss her too for she believes in feeding me and all my puppies. It may be a good thing for me for I’ve had indigestion now for a week or two. “Cook Ida” says it’s the De La Bob dinners. I’ve cut them out and ordered me some Panacea water so I’ll be all right in a week. Charles and Billie are going to Norfolk Wednesday and come back next day. They want me to go and I really have got some things to go for but I don’t know whether I will or not. Write to me any way and if I decide to go I’ll get your letter before the train leaves Woodville. I don’t want to go a bit. Won’t we good yesterday, church six times between us? Bishop Darst is to be here on the 12th of March and we will entertain him so I’m in for some Confirmation argument I know. I’ll try to arrange to spend that time in Halifax with you. But for the soul talk I’d kinder like to meet Mr. Darst and hear him talk some for he is said to be a brilliant man. Billie spent the afternoon with Evie and Em making candy – believe he’s about to fall in love with the Beaut (or the canary one). I must stop now. Sweet know I love you more than everything else. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 2, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, Mama and I have been out calling tonight and it’s late but I’m going to say howdy any way. I intended writing to you at the post office but found after I got there that I didn’t have any paper. Yes, my throat is all right and I’m just as well as I can be. Have fattened three pounds in the last week. Hurry up and come on so you’ll see me while I’m fat. I weigh nearly a hundred and twenty and when I weigh a hundred and twenty five I’ll be happy – so far as my weight is concerned. I hope you have gotten all right and that your indigestion is gone. Of course the cook knew what she was talking about when she said the hotel dinners were making you sick. Cut them out. There was enough sun today for the Ground Hog to see his shadow and I think he saw it too for it has started to raining again. I never did see such mean weather and I’ll be known to shout when the sunshine’s out for good. We got a letter from Little Sister today and she didn’t say a thing about coming home. She asked about the Masque Ball so reckon from that she intends coming by the fifteenth. Said she had met a very attractive boy and he was very nice to her but didn’t tell us his name. Of course you are interested in the Anti-jug legislation (cause I am and you do care about it, and not in the way you used to, either, don’t you?). I hope you all won’t have rain to go to Norfolk in tomorrow and that you will have a real nice trip. I have seen the time when I wasn’t so strong on your going down there but I can trust you any where now – can’t I? Ain’t you glad you are reformed if for no other reason than that I’m happy that you are. Wonder what excuse Miss Lou will have for not moving after Mr. Griffin has taken his trip to Norfolk. Reckon she’ll have to wait for Ida to return. I’ll hate for you to miss Bishop Darst but I’ll be tickled to death to have you with me on the twelfth of March. Course you’re . . . […page missing here…] used to be a long time ago down there and don’t you touch a single drop, just for my sake, or do anything else I don’t want you to do. But I know you are not, don’t I? Cause you know I love you too good for you to do anything bad. Write to me from some where tomorrow night cause I want my letters every day. With a heart full of love, I am Your own always, Kate Tuesday night. [February 3, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Morning My own dearest Kate – I just couldn’t write but a note last night for I was some kinder sick. I took my medicine and though I don’t feel much better this morning I know I’m on the road to recovery. I’m praying to be well by Saturday night and for fair weather. The groundhog didn’t see his shadow yesterday if he was anywhere near Lewiston and I hope he had the same luck in Halifax. We had a big rain during the night in spite of Mr. Hog. I wrote Little Sister a note yesterday morning and sent her some coupons. Told her if she didn’t hurry home I’d beat her to it. I want to see her and find out what kind of Dance to have Easter. We really are going to have one Easter unless you object. Bryan had him a dance last night but I had a good excuse to stay home. He and Emily came by and got some music and tried to make Mog and Burges go but both claimed they were dying. Fred’s brother has been up two or three times with him and seems to be pretty strong for Emily – He’s a nice looking boy but I don’t think he “knows much” – ‘Twould be a good match did you say? The widow hasn’t told any body any thing about her affair so far but acknowledges that it’s to be. Florence Spivey went to Norfolk Friday and is still there I think. Getting fixed up for it. Evie doesn’t know about her going to Norfolk as she claimed to be bound for Scotland Neck. Wouldn’t Evie be excited if she could only find it out? Burges and Billie will probably go down tonight and spread the news. Mog has hit upon a scheme to get Evie married, going to have a Nigger wedding for the Church and let her be the bride – It’s a hard job to find the groom even for that. Laurie Phelps and his wife from Norfolk are coming out Saturday for a week and we will have to entertain them some. I don’t like that a bit. Laurie is about my size and wifey weighs about two thirty. I know I’m going to get to laughing when I see ‘em come strolling up together. I heard Lou remark as I was coming in late to breakfast this morning that death was the only thing that could keep her from having to move. I don’t know what the excuse is now since Mr. Bethea had come and gone. If all of ‘em hate to leave home as bad as Lou I’d be right conceited over how good you loved me. Do love me right good, don’t you Sweet, cause I love you so good. I’m certainly coming Sunday if I feel any better but don’t count on it till I write later. Must stop now. Know I worship you and love you all in the whole world. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – [February 4, 1915] [Woodville] My own dearest Kate – I have been feeling so bad today with a cold and indigestion that I would never have gotten out of the house except to get my letter. Course that helped so much that I’ve been better since I first opened it. Mog is fixing up a dose for me and every time I think of that I get sicker than ever. I have given up the Norfolk idea for tomorrow. I don’t ever want to go anywhere without you any more. Wish I could go to Washington with my Sweetness. Yes I’ll let you go if you’ll promise to write to me every day and not be too busy with DAR questions to think about me. I hope I can come to Halifax Sunday but unless I feel better than I have for the last few days I think I’ll have to wait till the second Sunday. I am all run down and can’t eat anything besides having a cold. My Panacea water is due tomorrow and maybe that and Mog’s treatment will fix me up. You know, without my saying it, that I am coming if I am in shape. I will know definitely in a few days. I wish I could come every Sunday. I am going to do some praying to be well by Saturday night and you pray too cause I want to see you some kinder bad. I will try to write in the morning. Know I love you and love you and love [you] and wish to God I had you with me now. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 4, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I was so sorry when I read your letter this afternoon and found you were sick and have had a genuine case of blues ever since. I wouldn’t be half so blue if there was any thing I could do to make you feel better but to be way up here and leave you for some body else to doctor up is a little bit too much. I’m just praying that I’ll get a letter in the morning saying you are a heap better and if it doesn’t come I know it will be a million years before eighty time. I wish you would be more prudent and stop having those old colds. I know nothing but imprudence could keep you with one all the time; but I’m counting on old Mog to make you well real quick. I’m just praying for you to be well enough to come up Saturday but don’t you run a single bit of risk to come for however long the second Sunday will be coming I reckon it will finally get here. You never did say whether or not you wanted to come to our Colonial Ball. You won’t have to dress up unless you want to. After we get all the details planned I’m going to write and ask Margaret to plan her visit so she will be here to it. Ask Billie if he can’t come up too. We’re having it for the benefit of our school (DAR School) but don’t imagine we’ll get rich for we are not going to charge but fifty cents a couple and we’ve got to pay for the music. I just wrote a great long letter to Mr. Travis asking him to get somebody in there (who ever he thought could win out) to ask the Legislature to appropriate a nice sum towards our school in case we get it. The South Carolina Legislature promised thirty five hundred besides as much land as we have offered so I thought we’d better have something to offer from our state. I don’t see why we shouldn’t get it but some of those old men are so cranky and ought to be at home plowing. In the meantime I reckon I’d better not cuss them out before I find out what they’re going to do. I think it’s turning a little colder and I do hope it will and will fair off for it’s going to be mean weather as long as it stays as warm as it has been. John Fenner and Mr. Cook from Norfolk are here hunting birds and they went off this morning in a big rain. Don’t you know they’re going to die? This is the best kind of weather for pneumonia and a day’s hunt is all anybody needs for a good case. I was at Aunt Clara’s when they came in this morning and Aunt Clara was distressed to death over John’s going. She has gotten well but Uncle Johnnie isn’t so well. He has taken cold but is doctoring up and I hope will be all right tomorrow. Their cook is still gone – I mean Olivia – and they can’t hear a word from her. I think she’s gone for good and they might as well hire the one they’ve got for good. Duck is a never ending joy to me. She said today that you had to ask her for me and when you asked her she was going to tell you she bejected and if you asked why she bejected she was going to tell you cause you had red hair and she knew you were going to beat me to death. I’m sorry you had to give up your Norfolk trip and glad too. Maybe I’ll have to go down there before long and if I do I’ll carry you with me. I hope your Panacea water will cure you right away but you needn’t try to scare up an appetite before you come up here cause it’s the wrong place to come with one. Panacea water cured Uncle Johnnie of indigestion and he was real bad off. He takes some kind of tablets now when he just has a touch of it. If ‘twasn’t too much like kicking a dog when he’s down I’d tell you what has caused all this indigestion but I know you won’t be guilty any more and know you’ll be all right as soon as your poor stomach gets over being burnt up, so I ain’t going to say a thing. I’ve got to work real hard tomorrow and I’m glad of it for I know the days are going to be a month long till you get well. Aunt Clara is going to have the UDC Chapter meet with her and of course I’ve got to do the fixing for them. Please hurry and get well for I’ll be absolutely miserable till you are and you have done promised me that you won’t ever going to let me be miserable any more, haven’t you? Fletcher had a card from Little Sister today and she said she was coming home next week. I’ll be some kinder glad to see her, too. I must stop now for it’s late and I’ve got to be at Aunt Clara’s on time. Wish I could send you some of the good things we are going to have but don’t reckon they would do your indigestion very much good. But I’ll be thinking about you every single second and loving you too – just a little bit – and praying for you to be well right straight. With every bit of love in the world, I am, Your own always, Kate Wednesday night [February 12, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex – The same old tune again tonight, dead tired. I have been writing letters of all kinds and telegraphing and phoning all day long till I feel like I’d just love to scream. Maybe you don’t know it but your are fixing to marry a crazy gal and if I were you I wouldn’t do it. Nobody with any sense would run themselves to death like I do – would they? Old Cousin Mary Alston (Wiley Jones’ grand-daughter) wrote a letter to some body some where and in it said she knew it to be a fact that John Paul actually lived here, that her parents remembered him and had often talked about him to her and now our State Regent has asked me to try to write around and find the letter. Col. Burgwyn had it once but I thought in all probability that Mr. Long had it so wrote to him, too, and also asked for his support when our bill was introduced asking for an appropriation for our school. After I got through writing about the letter I had to write and telegraph around to have that one o’clock fast train stop here for the dancers Saturday morning. Don’t know yet whether or not it will stop for us. We were forced to have it (the dance) in Enfield on account of the illness of Mr. Gowen for the whole thing would have rested on my shoulders if we had have had it here and I just couldn’t stand for that. The hall there is better, we can get better music and better crowd there on account of the trains, so taking all things into consideration we just decided it was best to have it there. I’d rather die than go and am not if I can get two or three more girls to go in my place. I don’t care a thing about dancing and the trip will be terrible. The only thing that makes me even consider it is the fact that there is only one DAR down there and she’ll feel that we have left her with the whole burden on her hands. I wish there was never such a thing heard of. I don’t know what Little Sister is going to do but if she comes she will be very apt to attend the ball. Fletcher says he’s going to take her and I’m to chaperon them. Aunt Susie is going to chaperon and I’m going to help attend to the selling of the refreshments. Don’t reckon that will be quite as tiresome as dancing – but I ain’t there yet [and] am praying that some thing will happen to keep me from going. I know Woodville is in a turmoil over the wedding. I’m real jealous cause I know they are kicking up more over Florence and Dr. Garris than they will over us. Maybe when they invited just the members of the family that they included Burges as a prospective member. You were mean not to tell me cause I didn’t count. You forgot that, though, didn’t you? Evie sent my package this morning and I was some kinder glad to see it. Think from the way it was wrapped that she intended giving it to you and that she didn’t intend for you to get into it. I’m glad you like the Victrola. We’ll get one instead of the Inner-player for they are a whole sight cheaper and cheaper to keep up, too. You can get dandy dancing music on them. You may think you have practiced telling Miss Carrie she can sing till you think you can make me believe I can too, but you won’t even mention my singing after our first concert. I told Harry about what you said and he said he was counting on going down there before long and stay till you get tired of him. Reckon he won’t bother you till after the third Sunday. If he does, I’ll kill him. Must stop now and do a little more writing. Wish I had time to write to you some more. If I have to go to Enfield tomorrow evening I’ll write – before I go – and here’s hoping I won’t have to. My letter today was mighty sweet and I hope you are writing me another a mile longer right now – cause I love my letters all when you are not here. With every bit of love in the world, I am – Your own always Kate Got one of F’s announcement cards. [February 12, 1915] [Woodville] Thursday Night My own dearest Kate – I was three hours late in getting my sweetest letter today and I was some kinder impatient and mad but when I did get it I was happy enough to make up for it all. I have been down on the river all day burning off straw fields and rushes and trying to arrange to have some land reclaimed and I am as tired as I ever have been. If my letter is short don’t think I’m trying to get even cause you only wrote me a note. Sweetest note in the world though and I love you some kinder good for writing it after having such a tiresome day. I wish my Sweetness wouldn’t work so hard not only because it makes my letters too short but cause I love you so good and it makes me feel bad for you to write that you are tired and have been working all day. When I get you I ain’t going to let you work and I’m afraid I can’t leave you long enough to do much work myself. I’ve had me a good old time today thinking about my Sweetness and trying to get some wedding plans made. I’m so glad you are going to fix it with Harry so I can come on the third Sunday for I was coming anyway cause I just couldn’t help it. I wish ‘twas this Sunday, but you would keep me in Church all day and night too, wouldn’t you Sweet? Hasn’t Little Sister got enough of Chapel Hill yet? That guy must be praying the right prayer. Don’t forget to tell me his name. I got a little announcement of the Spivey-Garris wedding today. We’ve got to fix us up a list – don’t we won’t get any presents. Sweet I won’t write any more tonight but I’ll promise to do better tomorrow night. Know I love you better and want you more every minute that passes. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 13, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, The chances now are that I will have to go to that miserable dance tonight so I’m going to steal every chance I get and write you a line or two. I’m so tired of doing things I don’t want to just cause somebody else thinks I ought to I don’t know what to do. I told Aunt Clara this morning that I was just simply going to stop doing anything I didn’t want to and she laughed and said from all appearances I was about to put myself in such a position that I would have to do lots of things I didn’t want to. But I won’t have to – will I – cause I’m not getting a mean old man like most of the married folks talk like they’ve got. I’ve got the sweetest one in the world and I know it and if he wasn’t I just wouldn’t have him. I saw Wiley Long down town just now (he came down on his boat to see a Negro merchant here) and he said he heard you were here last week and wanted to know your business over here – course I didn’t know so I couldn’t tell him. He said he and Billie were going to take a trip up to Richmond next week. We are kinder looking for Little Sister this afternoon and if she comes I’m most ready to swear that I won’t go to Enfield. I’ll put a DAR pin on her and let her pose as me for a while. A big nigger died here Tuesday and they buried him today. Did you ever hear of such a thing? All the niggers (Duck heading the list) have gone absolutely crazy and Duck has had two days off attending the burial. They intended putting him away yesterday but the crowd hadn’t grown enough. Duck says he’s pickled so he’s all right. The country is just full of small pox and Mama and I are going to be vaccinated as soon as Little Sister comes. Vaccination is serving some of these folks bad but small pox is worse. Eighty has just come in and no Little Sister so that means that I shall have to go. But don’t you be afraid of my catching a single beau for I look and feel worse right now than I did the day Duck said I looked like a devilish corpse. Mrs. Gregory came down to see us just now and she insisted that I go home and rest some. She said I looked so tired and bad. That was enough to make me feel a whole heap better – wasn’t it? Always did make me feel worse for anybody to tell me I looked bad. I hope you are going to write me the longest sweetest letter in the world tonight for that is the only thing in the world that will keep me living tomorrow. And one week from tomorrow is the third Saturday. Did you know it? That helps a heap, too. My note was just as sweet as it could be just now if it was short. I love you better after each letter – and I reckon if many more come I’ll be the biggest idiot that ever lived. I’m so glad I never was in love before for it’s so interesting to see my case develop and see myself doing things (perfectly naturally, too) that I never ever dreamed I could or would do and would think anybody else absolutely crazy to do. I’ve surprised myself more than once. I’ve got to stop and get my things ready. Wish you were going to be with me. ‘Least I wish you were going to be here with me cause I think the dance would be just that much too much if you were here. I’m sending Mog a few peppers to make her some salad. I may not have time to write her a card. I ordered some for myself so thought she might like some. I’m going to think about you every second tonight and pray that I’ll get a long sweet letter tomorrow. With all my love, I am Your own always Kate Friday night [February 13, 1915] [Woodville] Friday Night My own dearest Kate – I’ll bet my Sweetness is in Enfield right now doing some dancing and I wish I was there to sit out some with you. I’m glad you are going and know you will enjoy it but I do hope you won’t break yourself down selling refreshments and running the whole affair and dancing too. I bets you dance every single dance. I hope when this is over you can’t find another thing to work yourself to death at. I love my sweetest letter today and you for writing it when you were so tired. I got my feet wet on the river yesterday and have got another cold coming and you know how they make you feel. Guess you think I’ll have a cold till I die, but I’ll be prudent when I have you here to make me, won’t I Sweet? I told Cobb you dragged me to church Sunday and Baptist at that. He said he wouldn’t get in love for a million dollars for he thought I was the last man on earth that a woman could twist around her finger and my going to Church proved that I was as easy as the rest when they get in love. Said he thought I would be justified in going hunting day after tomorrow. I think I’d be justified in doing anything this Sunday cause I can’t even get a word from my Sweetness and last Sunday I was so happy – I’m some kinder glad you fixed it with Harry for I just couldn’t stand two Sundays without seeing my prettiest, sweetest, sweetest, sweetest Sweetness in the world. I’ve got a whole lot of work to do for Mamma tonight so can’t write any more but I’ll try to get a letter to you Sunday. Know, Sweetest thing in the world, that I think about you and love you and want you more every minute. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own— Alex – [February 15, 1915] [Woodville] Sunday Night My own dearest Kate – The prettiest day of the year and still the gloomiest for me for I couldn’t hear a word from everything in the world that I love and you wrote Friday afternoon that you felt so badly and had all that dance to go through. I hope you didn’t make yourself sick dancing or working for the old DARs and I hope this is the last till we are married. If I don’t hurry up and get my Sweetness I’ll go crazy and you will work yourself to death. If I could have only been with you today, anywhere in the world with just you on a day like this would have been a Heaven for me to surpass all dreams of Heaven. Don’t I wish this was the third Saturday night – pray for the week to pass in a hurry for I want to see you worse than I ever have yet – and this time we are going [to] make our plans. I was so Christian like about church last Sunday that I passed up Sunday School today and Billie and I went over and played the Victrola. Janie Lyon is visiting Sallie and we waited till they left for Sunday School and then slipped in and heard the music till we saw them coming back. Billie is still with us and hasn’t showed any signs of moving. I expect some time he just won’t show up for dinner and we’ll know he’s gone. John bought Mr. Bazemore’s home place yesterday (just across from us) but I don’t think he will get possession of it until next year. He owns the lot right in front of our gate and says he’s going to build there. Must be thinking about marrying somebody, Polly probably. I made the deal for him and I’m real glad he got the place if he will build for it would be nice to have the place built up a little. I hope he will take an idea to build a nice house opposite us. I also sold my store yesterday (some business on the 13th) – I didn’t want to open it with prospects like they are and it was costing me about 65 cents a day in interest and taxes and insurance so I decided to let her go and if I wanted one later build it on my own land. There was a real good show in Lewiston last night, “The Girl and the Tramp,” seats 50 and 75 cents – and Miss Carrie furnished the music but I didn’t go because I was still feeling bad with a cold and had been going all day long and had a headache. Burges took Mary Grant and he said it was the best thing that had ever visited Lewiston. Florence and Dr. Garris returned from their extended tour this morning. They were out on the Ford Runabout this afternoon looking mighty happy. Mog said she expected to see another couple out some Summer Sunday afternoon before long in an old muddy buggy driving John Urquhart. I’d be happy enough to make up for the rig all right. I’ve had forty chances to go to Kelford this afternoon and to save my life I couldn’t get a way to mail a letter to you from there this morning. I hope your church tonight ain’t going to make my letter short. If it does I ain’t going to Church next Baptist Sunday. I believe Little Sister has deserted you all for fair – wish she had been there this afternoon to take a walk for I’m ‘fraid you used that as an excuse to take her place. I hope she will stay a week or two longer if it will keep you from being vaccinated because I don’t want my sweetness to be vaccinated. Please don’t Sweet, it will all die out when the summer comes and that’s almost here. There is not a single case in this community now and only one white person had it anyway. Take a chance and believe in your luck, that’s heap better than a sore arm. The Widow has been running her car every minute since she got home Thursday. She took Mog and Billie to Windsor yesterday afternoon, they had three punctures and got late for supper. She told Mog she had sold her home in Selma for $ 1050000 but I don’t know how much of that to believe. Lalla was here but she got two letters and two telegrams from Leonard the same day so had to go back. That’s the way I’m going to do when my Sweet leaves me – Please write me a long letter this week for I miss you so much I’m ‘bout to die. Know, Sweet, I love you more than all the world could love and think about you all the time – With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – [February 17, 1915] [Woodville] Tuesday Afternoon My own dearest Kate – In spite of the rain and being sick too I was up there when the train came to get my letter (or letters, for both came today) and I’m so happy now I can hardly write. I was some kinder sick yesterday and when my letter didn’t come on either mail I thought I was going to die. I’ll swear I was about half crazy till the train came today. I can’t imagine where my Sunday letter spent the day yesterday, it never has happened that way before and I’m praying it never will again. Of all the crazy folks on earth I was the craziest and if I hadn’t have heard from you today I was certainly going to Halifax tonight. It looks like it’s going to be a typical night for me to go. Evie is going to have the Card Club tonight but I don’t think she’ll have much of a crowd, not me if there’s any way to get out of it. Mog is having her little private party over at the House now in Janie Lyon’s honor – I’m counting on a handout through the kitchen window presently. I’m glad you had such a good time at the dance, even if you did go with your Honey (I’ll get you). Don’t I wish I could have seen my Sweetness with all that train and robes on – I know I’d have been so jealous I’d have shot your honey and everybody else that even looked at you. But you couldn’t have been any prettier than you were last Saturday night week cause I’ll swear you were a million times prettier than anything in the whole world. And you are going to be just as pretty this Saturday. I’m nearly crazy for the time to come and you can look for me no matter how bad the weather is (and remember your promise, no church). I’m going to bring my letter along as proof in case you try to make me go. I’m glad Little Sister has come too, now you stop working so hard and entertaining your honey and spend all that time writing to me. You ought to write me a whole heap this week cause I had to go from Saturday till this afternoon without a single word. One more day without a letter and you would have been a widow. I wish I didn’t love you so much till we are married for I was so miserable yesterday when my letter didn’t come that I didn’t care whether I was living or not. I’ve got so many different wedding plans I think I’ll have to stay a week to tell you all the different ones – you be planning some too. It has about stopped raining so I guess we will have to go to Zeke’s tonight. Know Sweetest Sweetness in the world that I love you a million times better than everything on earth and in Heaven too. Pray for Saturday to hurry up and come. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own Alex [February 17, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I am so distressed over your not getting my letter yesterday and can’t imagine what became of it for I certainly wrote it and Mama says she remembers mailing it. I suppose you’ve gotten it by now though, since you didn’t wire me. I don’t reckon you got your letter today (your today’s letter) since the train was so late this morning – nearly an hour. If I ever do get too sick to write you I certainly will get somebody to write for me and I’m going to expect you to do the same thing. That’s a go, too, for I feel just as bad over not getting my letters as you do over not getting yours. I feel better today (getting a little nearer to Saturday) but I haven’t felt well since you were here the time before the last. I reckon I need a tonic and then, too, sewing, or even thinking about it, always did nearly kill me. However, I don’t think I’ve done enough lately to hurt me. Little Sister has been fussing because I haven’t done more but I haven’t the slightest idea of working myself to death. She, Little Sister, is still full of her trip and talks it all the time. She got a letter from up there this afternoon and of course I got mine so we had us a reading match – Mama says she sees her finish right now if both of us are going to get a “daily.” She says she’s fattened but she doesn’t look so well. Reckon the trip was hard on her and then, too, old Fletcher got caught around home last night in the storm and she had to sit up with him till one. Some kinder glad she was there for I was up stairs asleep. I would have been dead sure enough today if I had have sat up that late – Course I can sit up all right late once in a while. The old town clock hasn’t struck today and I hope it won’t any more till after Sunday. Don’t know whether it’s broken or just run down. Course I’m too public spirited to hope it’s broken but I don’t care if it runs down every two weeks, do you? It makes it almost impossible to tell the old folks stories or to fool them. Tomorrow is the third day on my vaccination and Doctor says if it’s going to take it will begin to itch. I hope it will take just a little for I won’t be any more [?] a long time if it does. Little Sister positively refuses to be anymore. Says she would rather have small pox. I wish they would have the quarantine law again. It’s a perfect nuisance for the well folks to have to always be running from sick folks. I’m writing this down here at the office for Aunt Susie is going over home after supper and I know it will be impossible to write there. I hope you did get my yesterday’s and today’s letters today. If you did I’m going to expect a great long sweet one tomorrow. Course they are all sweet but some of them are powerful short. You write on that old short paper and the pages don’t count for big ones a bit. The mail has come in and I’ve got to stop. I love you better than the whole world tonight and wish it was Saturday night right now. But ‘tain’t so long off, now, and maybe it will get here after a while. With all my love I am, Your own always, Kate [February 18, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Night My own dearest Kate – I have about gotten back to my normal state of mind and health since I got my two letters yesterday and my sweetest letter in the world today. But I was crazy and sick too Monday and I hope it will be a long time before I spend such another day as that was. I’m so sorry my Sweetness has been feeling bad and am praying that old vaccination won’t take a single bit. I wish you had taken Little Sister’s view about it. Guess it would be a good thing if it would take enough to make you stop working so hard and rest up a while. I wish you would decide not to do all that sewing and have it done later. You had better rest up from now till Saturday cause it will take a long time to fix up our plans and if that old clock is working I’m going to “shoot it to pieces,” as Chas. Jr. says. Just three more days now and I’ll be with my own sweetest sweetness and I know I’ll be happier than I ever have been before. I’ve been happy all this old cold cloudy day just thinking about it. Tell Little Sister I’m going to bring a few coupons and she has got to open the mail Sunday afternoon. I’ve got to find out if Billie knows the Winston-Salem guy and what about him. I don’t want no bud-in-law that’s a whiskey drinker and card sharp. Talk about card sharps there was a few of ‘em at Zeke’s last night. We were playing set back and the Beaut stole the deuce of trumps from the bottom of the deck and I caught it and then she swore she didn’t swipe it. They had all kind of eats – chicken salad and heart shaped ice cream and two or three kinds of candy. Lewis was there about ¾ drunk and ate so much he’s been sick all day. Dr. Garris and Florence were there and looked some kinder hacked. Florence said she begged Garris not to go. I’m glad to see Lent come for I’m tired of the Card Club, I’d rather be here writing to you. I’m fasting on cussing this Lent, that’s the only habit I’ve got now that an angel wouldn’t have. If another train comes here without a letter for me though I’m bound to break my fast. Do Methodists have Lent or not? If they do you fast on working so much, hear Sweetness? Know I worship my own sweetheart and love her better every second. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 18, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I know you know I’ve gone crazy now but to save my life I can’t find my pen. I’ve had a sick head ache and been in bed most of the afternoon and didn’t go back to the office tonight or I should have written to you down there and saved myself from being disgraced by writing with a pencil. Absolutely unpardonable in any body else. Half of my things are at the office and what I want never happens to be where I am. My Sunday night letter written here had back luck and I’m praying this won’t for I feel too bad to be writing letters for nothing. I wouldn’t write to anybody else under the sun but you tonight and I could write to you all night without being hurt a bit. I’m glad you got your two letters but sorry you had to wait for one of them. I got my sweet letter this afternoon and it ‘most cured me. Reckon I’ll be cured good when the one tomorrow comes. But if I’m not, Saturday will come and then I’ll be well, won’t I? I saw the new moon just now and wished a heap of things, amongst them that Saturday would be fair and if it couldn’t be fair for it to just hurry and come on in any old shape. I’m glad you’ve made so many plans and am crazy to learn what they are – I’m not going to make a single one. All I’m going to do is furnish the bride and trousseau. According to Sister you are wasting you sweet time in making any plans for me. She says she doesn’t believe for one minute that I’m going to marry you or any body else and that she’s not going to make a thing for me to wear to Washington or any where else. Her version of the thing is that I’m trying to get some fine clothes to go to Washington and then decide I’m not in love and call off the wedding. But she’s wrong this time. Ain’t she? Cause I tried once to decide I didn’t love you and the more I tried not to the more I was convinced that I did. That was the way I spent that Sunday night down there – trying to persuade myself that I didn’t love you – but nothing doing. Little Sister has been too much taken up with herself since she got home to do much planning and I’m glad of it. She did say to either be married in June or October and I said all right. Just as I do to everything else she has said about it. Mrs. Applewhite wanted to announce it next Wed. at her Club meeting but I told he to wait a while. ‘Twas mighty sweet of her to want to, though. I wrote Aunt Florence last Sunday and told her a thousand tales but she isn’t satisfied since she answered the letter today. I told her I was going to get everything ready […?…] the day and […?…] she could come up and see. I want you to know her for she is so nice. I’m real proud of her. I’m so sorry you are still sick. Please hurry up and get well cause I don’t want you to be feeling bad. Hope you went to Evie’s meeting and had a good time. Bet she had […?…] to eat or pretty good. How is […?…] going to […?…] your people […?…]? Wish I could [The original letter having been written in pencil in the first place, the copy is very, very difficult to decipher. I can’t get more than a word or two here and there on this page, so I’m stopping with about half page left and going to the next page, which is the final page of this letter.] . . . they had waited till after Lent to join for of course the new members will have to be very orthodox. This pencil is about to give me a fit and I’m going to stop right now. I’m either going to seal my letter and get Mama to address it in the morning or run over to Aunt Susie’s and address it myself. With all my love I am, Your own always, Kate Wednesday night. Hope you can read this. [February 19, 1915] [Woodville] Thursday Night My own dearest Kate – You are the sweetest thing in the world and I love you a little extra tonight for writing me my best letter in the world last night when you felt so bad. I wouldn’t care if you wrote to me with a pencil every time just so I get my letter, that’s all I want and I love the pencil ones just as good as I do the others. I hope you got a good night’s rest after you wrote to me and woke up this morning feeling good again. Just think this I the last letter I’ll write till I see my Sweetness and when you get it it won’t be but one more day. The Friday before I go is always the longest day in the year but tomorrow I’m just going to think about how happy I’ll be when Saturday night does come. All of the stars are out tonight and I hope it will stay fair a long time. Mog and Burges and Billie and all the Zeke’s went over to see Sallie and Janie Lyon tonight. I know the Victrola will work overtime unless Evie will keep it out. Mrs. Frances Renfrow Doak (Big Crow) is going to give a recital at the School House tomorrow for the benefit of the school and Evie is to sing. I can stand the singing but I always hate that [?] business. Think I’ll fast on shows and recitals this Lent. You ain’t no up to date Methodist at all, Old Babe told me today she was fasting on about forty different things. Cobb said she was making her boarders fast too. Sweet have you ever decided to come to the Easter dance if we have one? I want to know for I must start talking it up if you will come but if you won’t then no dance for me. Don’t say you can’t come because you haven’t got any clothes cause Aunt Susie will fix you up again and I want to see you in that rig anyway. But if I happen to step on it don’t say I’m drunk. Sweet I’ve got to write some more letters so I’ll have to stop. I’m so glad it’s almost time to see my prettiest Sweetness again. Know I’ll be thinking about you every second from now till I see you and I love you better than everything on earth and in Heaven too. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [before February 23, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, Ain’t this a shame – here I sit writing to my everything in the world and half miserable when last night this time I was with him and perfectly happy. That’s the way with this blooming old world though. This last trip spoiled me I know and I’ll be wanting you to stay a week next time if you’ll be good. Nobody has said I look so awful this time so maybe I don’t look like a haunt. Mama asked me when I went to the office this morning if I had been sitting near the fire (my face was so red) and after letting it get a little redder I told her I had. I believe it was redder than it was when you left last night, and that was red a plenty. I loved you mighty good last night if my old face was scratched up but I don’t want you to ever tell me another bit of mess like you told me for I dreamed about it all night long. I know half of it was a story anyway. I’m glad Harry went home with you and hope he and you will enjoy his visit half as much as I used to enjoy mine. I ain’t going any more though, cause I’d feel like a dunce. Mrs. Shaw told me today that she had written her daughter that Kate’s beau, Mr. Uqurt, was here and seemed quite at home – acted as if he were one of the Fenners. Ain’t she a sight? I’m skeered I’d act too much like I thought I was one of the Urquharts if I were to go again. And then I might have a spider put in my dumpling. Well I’ve looked at the old calendar and discussed the wedding with Mama and Little Sister and have decided to get married the first or fourth Wednesday in June so I’m writing to tell you to please be present on that occasion if it meets with your approval. Honestly I don’t see any way out of a quiet Church wedding unless we just jump up here at home and get married and Little Sister says she won’t stand for that. I think to just have Mog and Little Sister and four ushers and your best man and the two groomsmen and be married at ten in the morning and take the ten twenty-six train for Richmond wouldn’t be so bad. Course it’s terrible any way you fix it and we might as well grit our teeth and go through it in at least a decent way. Tell Margaret about it and ask her opinion on the subject. I’m going to settle it and make all our plans now in a mighty few days cause if I don’t I’ll go crazy. I’m going to write for samples of invitations in a few days – that is if you want to send them out. We’ll either have to send them or write all our friends what we are going to do. I wouldn’t mind my part for I wouldn’t have to write so very many but I know you’d hate to have to write to all your folks and friends. Write me what you think about it. Ain’t this foolishness though writing all the plans when we were just together and could have made them all so easily if either of us had two grains of sense. I really do think it’s due our people for us to plan our marriage and tell them for they certainly have a right to know. But it’s not that part that I’m so interested [in]. I want to get it off my mind. And you decide exactly what boys you want before you come again. There will have to be six – not including Brother who is going to give the bride away. Little Sister says you’ll have to wear a black suit but you can find out all that in Norfolk – by writing. I reckon I might let you go down to buy your wedding suit though. I’ve been getting ready for the Club and Condray [?] tomorrow and I’ve gotten lemon juice in my cut fingers and they are giving me down the country. I don’t care though for I’ll have something to worry over ‘sides your not being here. If I ever do get out of love this time I’ll solemnly vow I’ll never get in again. Is Tommy in again for keeps and did you make the deal? Don’t you forget you promised to explain that telegram. I’m here by myself writing but I hear Mama and Little Sister coming. Remember what I told you about making Harry go to bed early and incidentally, going early your self cause I love you too good for you to be sitting up and catching cold. Write me some real long sweet letters cause I want and need them. With a bushel of love I am Your own always, Kate Tuesday night [February 23, 1915] [Woodville] Monday Night My own dearest Kate – I have been real happy all day thinking about June but since night has come the old blues are about to get me. And the papers say “Rain Tuesday” and Tuesdays with the sun shining are always terrible. But I ain’t going to be blue because I feel like our marriage is [a] heap nearer now we have got some definite time set and I’m just as happy as I can ever be when I’m away from my own Sweetness. You make any other plans you want to about the wedding and if there is anything you want me to help decide or do just write me. Be sure to have everything just like you want it Sweetness. What I want is you and I’ll go through anything to get you. Last night this time I was just as happy as any Heaven could make me. I have been doing a little of everything this afternoon and thinking about my Sweetness every minute and wishing you were going to be home tonight when I came. Tell Mrs. Fenner that the first Premium for an “Ordinary Life” Policy with the Mutual Life at the age of 52 will be $52.91 – but at the end of the first year the Company will pay her a Dividend of $982. This Dividend can be used in paying the second year’s Premium, which would make her second Premium $5291 minus $982 or $43.09. The dividends have been increasing some each year and this would make each successive Premium smaller. If I haven’t made it clear to her I can explain it all when I come again (and I hope that will be right soon) – I rode home with the Zekes this afternoon in the Widow’s car and I think Evie will go crazy if she doesn’t find out when we are to be married. I know she asked me fifty times. I won’t write more tonight cause I’m so sleepy. Know Sweetheart that I worship and love you with all the love that ever has been in the world. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 23, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I was so glad to get my sweet letter this afternoon and I have been feeling better ever since it came for it has been exactly a month since Sunday night. I feel right good tonight – but I’m so blooming tired of being told by every body I see how terrible I’m looking I don’t know what to do. I reckon I’ve got the T.B’s but I hope I won’t give it to you. We had a right heavy mail this afternoon but not as heavy as I expected for yesterday was a holiday and of course that made a double mail for the Rural men today. I dressed up yesterday and went calling and played lady all day and I haven’t done much more today. We went over to Nannie Gary’s this morning (just three or four girls) and danced on the porch and then after dinner I was dead for sleep so I didn’t do a thing but steal up stairs and sleep about an hour and a half. Am going to get to work again tomorrow, though, for if I don’t June will slip on me and find me about half ready. Reckon it always slips up on folks for there are a thousand things put off to be done the last minute. The woman who I engaged to make my dresses is sick in bed and I’m scared to death that she won’t be well enough to sew for me. I ain’t going to worry about anything though (least I’m going to try not to) for I know I’ll look like the “Old Boy” if I do and I know you can’t possibly love me a bit if I look any nearer like him than I do now. Miss Bear informed me today that I looked worse Sunday than she had ever seen me. Reckon it was only the contrast, though, for she said some mighty fine things about you. Sorry I carried my old man across the street to show him off cause one of those old girls might fall in love with him. It’s raining a little tonight so Little Sister and I didn’t go back to the office. She is over in the corner reading Conrad’s today’s daily and every few minutes she reads me a very sentimental extract. She just read me an extract from “I love you Truly.” I told her I was going to get me a book of love letters and every time I didn’t feel inclined to write you an original one I would just follow Conrad’s example and copy me one. But when you don’t get one you can always know it’s not a lack of inclination, can’t you? Cause I always want to write the sweetest longest ones in the world (except the ones I want from you) but sometimes I just don’t feel like writing a line. You are just as sweet as can be to be willing to put up with any plans I choose to make about our wedding but you are perfectly safe for you can trust me to make them just as simple as they can possibly be made. I wish Nell could be here to help me plan. She said to avoid having to have some I didn’t want to have in the wedding for me to just have our two single sisters and you could have your groomsmen. If we’re married in Church I’ll do that and if we’re married here I won’t have anybody but Brother to give me away. Papa wouldn’t do it to save my life. I’ll think about it a whole heap before you come again and then decide for I know I’ll feel lots better after we do decide. I reckon poor Evie really does want to know all about it sure enough. I would have her up here before June but I know she’d die but what she’d find out all about it – or make me tell a thousand more stories – and then go back down there and spread the news. How are Evie and Fred’s brother making it? I forgot to ask you when you were here. I kicked my Honey this morning and now you are in honor bound to kick Miss Carrie for you haven’t the slightest excuse for going with her a single bit. Wish you could have heard Old Fletcher when Little Sister told him she thought I was some kinder in love with you. He said he had always thought I wasn’t capable of being in love with any man and if I was now I must have manufactured it. I didn’t though, did I? I loved you just so. Did Miss Lou move today? It would be a pity for her to wait all this time and then have to move in the rain. I think Harry’s girl intends going away tomorrow but she has said so often she was going I’ll wait to see her go before I say she’s gone. I read Mama what you said about the Insurance business. I think she had promised Swain to buy from him but I told her she had to get some from you too. She said if she liked “being insured” she’d get some from you. Doctor examined her today and she in perfect physical condition. She says she’s afraid she’ll live so long she’ll be stuck and lose the money on the policy. I’m going to stop now and read Vogue some so I can send them back to Margaret. Certainly do hope she hasn’t needed them. I intended sending them today but I just haven’t felt like reading them. I dreamed last night that you and I were in Petersburg fussing to beat the band but I’ve forgotten what we were fussing about. Reckon ‘twas the wine supper or Miss Carrie or something else just as frivolous. Be good and remember that I’m here loving you all the time and wanting you to be good above every other wish I could possibly have. With all my love, I am, Your own always, Kate [February 24, 1915] [Woodville] Tuesday Night My own dearest Kate – I needed my sweet letter some kinder bad today for besides being blue I have been real sick all day. I went to bed feeling pretty good last [night] but woke up this morning with a real old grippe cold and have been freezing and aching all day long. I thought I would write a long letter tonight as you promised but I’ll have to put it off till tomorrow. I’m going to dose up and hope I’ll be better tomorrow. So you almost decided on a Church wedding, did you? I want you to have just what you like but I hope you’ll decide to have it at home. Not only on my account but I don’t want you to worry yourself to death as I know you will do. Don’t make any definite plans till I come again and we will talk it all over and arrange all the details. In the meantime just pray for the day to hurry up and come and don’t work too hard on the trousseau. ‘Twas might nice in Harry’s girl to donate. You’ve got to show me some of the trousseau next time. Sweet I have thought about you and loved you all day long and you know how I miss you and will miss you till we are married and I have my Sweetness with me all the time. I will try to write a letter tomorrow night. Know I worship you Sweet and love you better every second. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 25, 1915] [Halifax] My own dearest Alex, I’m so sorry you have gone and gotten sick again and I wish I could do something for you tonight that would make you well in a minute. All I can do is to sit here and just wish and pray and while I’m hoping that may do you a little good I’ll confess that it doesn’t help me a bit for I’ll be miserable till you write me you are feeling good once more. I don’t see where on earth you get your old colds any way. I’d feel real good tonight if I just could know you weren’t sick. I went to a Club meeting this afternoon and had a very nice time. Saw Julia Gregory there and she said she stayed dressed up all Sunday waiting for me to come and bring my beau so that she could pass judgement on him. The DARs meet with Mrs. Walter Daniel in Weldon tomorrow but if I possibly can get out of going I certainly am. They meet with me the fourth Thursday in March and our Club meets with me in March too – ain’t that a mess? I’ll be sho nuff tired of all such things by then. I would try to get out of having both of them but it may be my last time so I’ll pull though some way. I’m not going to even think about the wedding any more till you come and then we’ve got to decide on every thing if it takes us a week to do it. I had a letter from Aunt Florence this afternoon and she wants me to have a simple evening affair and a simple reception, but nothing doing on that line, I know. I can’t write more tonight for Mama wants me to go with her to Aunt Clara’s. Now please be prudent and try to get well right away for while I can’t do like Lila threatened to do in case Mr. Cobb got sick, I can stay here and be absolutely miserable and you know I will be so till I hear from you. I’m glad my last night’s letter was a long one. Must have known you were sick when I wrote it. Don’t try to write me a long letter if you don’t feel like it but write it just as long as you can for I love my letters next to you – and that’s love enough for the world. With all my love, I am, Your own always, Kate Wednesday night. [February 25, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Night My own dearest Kate – I promised a sho nuff letter tonight but I have got to plead sick again. I have got the grip like I never had it before and feel bad all over. I stayed in bed till dinner when I went over to the [?] they all said they knew [?] would bring me out. They didn’t know I was going up town to get my letter cause I couldn’t wait for it. I came back as soon as the mail was opened so don’t cuss me for being imprudent and I know my letter did me more good than everything else in the world all put together could. I have read my letter twenty times and I love it better every time and love you for writing it. If I had to say what had given me the most pleasure in the last two years I would surely say your letters cause every single one of them has made me ten times happier. I hope I’ll get a great long one tomorrow and then I know I will be well of the Grip. It’s the funniest case I ever heard of – I didn’t feel bad at all Monday night and woke up Tuesday morning with a cough and cold and have been feeling worse ever since – Mog has give me forty different things to take tonight and my head is nearly bursting now. My letter tomorrow will fix me up though I’m sure and unless I’m heaps sicker I’ll be there [?]. Know Sweetheart I love you and love you and love you and love to love you. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex [February 26, 1915] [Woodville] Thursday Night My own dearest Kate – I have been up today because I just couldn’t stay in bed but I’m real sick still – I rode down to Mog’s place this morning to see about some ditching for her and when I got back I had the earache along with all the other aches that accompany the Grip. But it wont long then before I got my sweetest letter, the pleasure that each day brings, and I forgot I had ever been sick. I have taken everything that everybody has prescribed except “Lemon and Whiskey” and now I’m going to stop and let her wear herself out. I think one good sunshiny day and a long letter from my Sweetness and I’ll be well. I’ll bet you couldn’t resist the temptation to go to Weldon to the Club meeting and if you did go I hope you didn’t have a cold ride like the one Thanksgiving Morning. Please don’t you catch the Grip for if you ever have it like I have got it I’m going crazy and then you’ll be like that Tillery girl in Scotland Neck. Cobb got a long distance message from Lila today asking if she could come to Lewiston. He told her he reckoned she could if she wanted to, it didn’t make any difference to him. She said well look for me Saturday. Cobb is trying to get somebody to spend next week at the Club House with him. He swears he’s not going to get back in but wouldn’t back it ten bucks. The Widow went to Selma today for the final settlement of her affairs so she said. Burges took her to Kelford. Has Harry’s girl gone? Tell him I’m looking for him as soon as she leaves. Lou and Charles have moved about half of their stuff over and I guess they’ll finish next week. Waiting for the paint to dry now. Funny moving, ain’t it? We will make all our Wedding plans next time and arrange all the details. Sweet know I love you and love you and love you and have wanted you more since Monday than ever before. I will write a letter if I ever feel well enough. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – [February 27, 1915] [Woodville] Friday Night My own dearest Kate – I didn’t think I was much better this morning but now I’m entirely well and you know why. If there’s any reward hereafter for the good that people do on this old earth you’ll certainly get a double share for the joy and happiness and help that your letters bring me. Each one since the first has been a treasure to me and today’s was the sweetest and best of them all and I love you Sweetheart more tonight than ever before it seems. I have got a little cold and cough yet but I’m taking enough cough medicine to cure a man with the “bugs.” Please don’t worry yourself any more about my being sick for I’m almost right now but I “sho” had the Grip. I haven’t been so sick since I had the measles when I was in college. I ought not to have told my Sweetness I was so sick but I love you so good I have to fess up to everything. And I wouldn’t have ever gotten well but for my sweetest letters that ever have been in the whole world. So you had to go to the DAR Meeting. They are like me, can’t get along without you, if it isn’t a quorum it’s a regent you have to furnish. I’m sorry for ‘em when I get you cause I can’t spare my own Sweetness one single minute. If all the weeks from now till June are as long as this one it will be a thousand years before I have you with me. I’m some kinder glad there’s only two more days in February. The Bird Law goes out tomorrow and I didn’t make good my promise to Cousin Ida but I was excusable for there wont any birds this year. Burkett, the man I hunt with all the time, came by for me to go turkey hunting with him this morning, but I didn’t feel equal to it. He killed four fine ones and sent me one a few minutes ago. If you hadn’t promised not to take me to church next time I ‘spect I’d have to go turkey hunting Sunday for that’s the last day of February. Burges and Billie are at the Zekes making candy tonight. I told Tom to bring me some but I know they’ll eat it all up. I wish you and Little Sister would come Easter. We’ll have a dance if you will. Talk it over and decide to come and I’ll fix up the dance. Mog has called off the nigger wedding so Evie is absolutely hopeless now. She and Buffet must be out for keeps for he has been in Williamston for the last week on a vacation and hasn’t mentioned coming over. Evie needn’t despair completely for they say “Steady” has got a beau. Sallie Eason has got three girls from Roxobel visiting her and invited me up but I had a good excuse, too sick. I’m ‘fraid Harry’s girl has decided to prolong her visit as you didn’t say any more about her departure. Tell him Em still looks fine and is longing for a beau. The roads are so muddy I almost know I can’t get a letter to you Sunday but know Sweet I’m thinking about you every minute and wishing it was March the 7th. I love you with every bit of love that ever was. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – [March?, 1915] [Woodville] Wednesday Night My own dearest Kate – I was so happy to get my sweetest letter in all the whole world today and I’ve been making out fairly good ever since. This morning was awful and I couldn’t enjoy a thing till I got my letter. I have had Mr. Maynard, a tailor from Norfolk, here all the afternoon and have been pretty busy but was thinking about my own sweetness every second. We sold a good many suits and incidentally myself a real dark blue. I had intended that one for the wedding but if you say black why I can change the order. Unless it would look out of place I had rather have the blue but of course if you think best I’ll change it to black. Let me know about that in your next letter for I’ll have to change the order at once. I’m still strong for the home wedding but if you say have it [in] Church I’ll have to agree (course you’ll have to allow me about four to keep my knees right). One reason I’m not strong for the Church wedding is that if we have a big affair I would never feel right if I didn’t have George and Bill and Louis and West in it and that’s an impossibility. They would insist upon a “party” that would last from Tuesday night through the wedding and would have it regardless of what I could say or do. They’d get me in bad with all your folks, and you I guess, so I just couldn’t have them and still I don’t want to have anybody else but them for they are my sho nuff friends. (I’m afraid Sweet you’ll think they are a pretty bad crowd of friends for your husband to have but they are the best folks in the world and their hearts are right and they are God’s own folks in my estimation.) However I’ll get some others to take their places if we have it in Church. You must decide on that yourself for I want you to have everything exactly to suit you for all I want is you and I’ll go through anything on earth to get you. If I didn’t love my Sweetness a million times better than everything that ever was in the world, I think I’d be bound to weaken on going through a wedding for I’d almost rather face a Russian bayonet. Maybe with that (small allowance you promised) I’ll be able to stand it. I’ll talk it all over with Mog as soon as I get a chance and we will get our plans all definitely arranged by my next visit. Mog is so busy with Lou’s work and Clifford is sick and the Bishop coming tomorrow that I haven’t been able to have my talk with her yet. I’ll see what her ideas about it are as soon as I can. But regardless of Mog and everybody else I want you to arrange everything just like you wish it. You can get the invitation samples and if you want them we can have them. Personally I always said I wouldn’t have them cause they look so much like asking for a present. We can decide about them later too. For the Good Lord’s sake try to get me out of that reception business. That’s worse than the ceremony. I’ll have a talk with Mog and we will arrange every single thing next time I come if I have to spend the whole week to do it. I don’t think I can ever leave before Tuesday any more anyway. I love my Sweet a million times better every time I see her, don’t I Sweetness? But I can’t ever love you any better than I do right now cause I’ve done reached the top. Burges and Harry are down at Zekes tonight making candy. Harry went over with them to meet the Widow this morning. Billie failed to come to dinner yesterday and has been over at his house ever since. Funny way to move – didn’t tell a soul a thing about it. Mamma felt hurt about it but I told her it was just Billie and he didn’t mean any harm. I hear the boys coming so I’ll stop. Write me another long sweet letter. Sweet, know I love you better than ever before and am just praying for the time to come when I’ll have my Sweetness always. With all my love – I remain forever – Your own – Alex – File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/bertie/history/letters/urquhart232gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 115.6 Kb