1866 Justina writes her cousin Emma Austin
Feb 4, 1866
I was just beginning to think you had not received my letter…but I was very glad to find myself mistaken.
And now Emma you must excuse me if my letters are not as long as usual as I do not feel much like writing and would much rather have you here to talk to, but that is not to be…
We used to have nice times when you were here did we not…if we did have to sleep in the little bed…And do you remember the night I slept with you, and Grandmother [Hannah Hickok Eldred] thought It was Maria? By the way, give Grandmother a bunch of love for me. Tell her that I think of her often and that I like applesauce almost as well as I do myself.
Tell Eldred [James Eldred, Emma's brother] he must have a lot of apples picked for me by the time I come up and I hope he has got over his bashfulness enough to be able to give me a kiss.
But dear Emma, you can not imagine how I long to see you. It seems like it was twenty years instead of two since I saw you last. And I could not wait until next summer if I did not know I had got to.
But I have got a feared headache tonight and as it is Saturday night, I have my lesson to study for Monday. I do not study then on Sunday anymore. I am gettting to be good.
Emma, you shall know all you want to when I come up next summer.
I do not care about writing it and having it read, as it would be if my letter was open when you received it, but I guess I will bring my letter to a finale. Give my love to your Mother and Father and all the rest. Write soon and believe me when I say
your loving cousin,
Tina
Feb 28, 1866
My Dear Emma,
I suppose I deserve a good scolding because I have not written to you before this, but we have been so busy and had so much company that I could not possibly find time to write to you before and now that I have commenced, I hardly know what to write you for I feel unusually stupid and so if my letter is stupid, you will know why it is so.
I do wish it was summer so I could come up there. I want to see you so much and I long for a change of some description no matter what, I think it would…put a little more ambition into me of which I am sadly in need. Have you seen Aunt Laura [Laura Austin Clark, their aunt] lately? When you see her give her my love and tell her I want to see her awful badly and that she must come to NY and see us.
How is Grandmother getting along? Does she keep well and make you laugh as much as ever? How are all the little pigs and big ones…How is Billy Kyte and his pig prospering…
But I must close for I have got to get up early in the morning. So goodnight and pleasant dreams.
Love to all and believe me,
ever your loving Cousin
Tina
Sept 17, 1866
Oh dear Emma How I wish you could come and stay with me all winter. We would have such a nice time. I am home all the while and we could go out together and enjoy ourselves fine. Can’t you coax your folks to let you come?
Have you heard form Carrie Newman lately? I have written to her twice but have received no answer from her and I am afraid she is sick. I wish when you write you would try and find out why she does not write to me. WIll you? I cannot write any more, as I am very weak yet. It is the first I have been up for three days. I came very near having the cholera, so near that there was not much fun in it.
Ever your loving cousin,
Tina
Love to all and write soon.