Henrietta Fawcett Gauss - 1866-07-30

Envelope:
Charles H. Gauss
127 College Street
New Haven
Conn.

St. Charles January 22d 1865

Dear Henry,
                I had intended to write to you certainly last week, but as you well know I did not make it out, and unless you have acquired the Yankee knack of guessing, it would be hard for you to imagine what occupied me so much that I could not get time to write you in a whole week. -- Why Tis nothing less than the preperations for Jimmy Lindsey's weeding.  He was married last Thursday to the young widow Hawkins.  They had quite a large party, in Mr. Aldersons parlor -- about forty persons there & all did not attend that had been invited; your Mother & Father of the missing, Mr. Watson on account of Mr. Farris' absence was sent for to marry them.  They were afraid to wait for Mr. Farris, but he got here just the night before the marriage & He and Mrs. Farris attended the wedding.  It was quite a gay party for such old folks.  It was composed almost entirely of married persons though, & perhaps you might have considered it rather dull. Mary, Mattie & Lizzy, with a neice [sic] of Mrs. Gambles, Miss Ross, were all the young ladies present, & I must beg pardon, Miss Gauss.  The latter lady pronounces weddings very Stupid affairs.  Mr. Watson staid that night with your Father.  I hope old Jimy [sic] gave him a good Fee for marrying them.
        You know I believe that Mr. Farris had gone to Virginia for the remains of his young relation Bredill, The Mother of the young Man accompanied him.  They found the body without any trouble & returned last week to St. Louis.  I have not seen Mr. Farris except at the wedding & there had no opportunity of talking to him about Southern affairs, but Mr. Watson said he told him, that while among the confederates he had noticed nothing like despondency, but all the Federals that he met with in his trip seemed to be very confident that the South would have to give up in less than six months. -- I know things look dark, but I do not despair.-- They have looked so before.  Your Father seemes [sic] to think there is no chance for the South, that she will have to knock under.  But you know his prejudices for the other side, & reading their version of things Makes him see thing [sic] differently from some of the rest of us.
        Your Mother has been anxious about your box, & thinks strange that she does not hear you Might possibly imagine that they had something to occupy them as well you, & if you should not in future receive a great number of letters you need not attribute it to indifference.  They go to the College Building, to a Yankee whose name I have forgotten.  They seem to get along quite smoothly so far.
        By they papers I suppose you saw the death of Dr. Rice, he died of Apoplexy, and on last Friday Mrs. Porter died of pneumonia, just after I wrote to you last, I received a letter - from Lundy Spring, giving me the sad Intelligence of the death of Archibald Moore, he died the last of Nov. of Typhoid Fever, leaves your cousin Ginnie a young widow, with one child, as to her circumstances I know nothing, but as they were just begining [sic], I fear there I not much for her to live on, but his parents living & I hope they will be kind & considerate of her.  I had a letter from Mary last week, she is very good about writing.   Your Mother generally gets two for one.  They were all well, but lonely, her Father & Charly on East, -- So write as often as you can.  It seemed very long between your letters to more than [remainder is cross-written] your Mother & St. Charles friends.  I know They do not hear as often as they would like but perhaps we ask more than we ought.  All send Messages, but I have not took any thing but our love & prayers that you may be guarded & guided aright ever your affectionate Aunt Gee.