Relatively Speaking

1867

Sunday April 21, 1867

My dear Emma,

I guess you have begun to think I am the meanest specimen of humanity you ever met with for not answering you letter sooner. Perhaps you are not very far from thinking right, but excuse my seeming neglect for we have been very busy cleaning house and have had a great lot of company and my time has been occupied in attending to household duties so that I could hardly find leisure to write to you and now I have commenced I know not what to write about as there is nothing transpiring which is worth relating and I have long since exhausted my brain in trying to compare something sensible but have given up in despair, for sensible writing is out any line of business so do not criticize my nonsense too severely for it is only the outpourings of a nonsensical nature. 

I went to  church this morning and intended to go to the chapel this afternoon but was sadly disappointed for no one seemed inclined to do up the dinner work, so I had to remain home and do it myself. Oh Emmie, I get so discouraged that I sometimes wish I was dead. Everybody and every thing seems to be against me. I wish I could be with you and talk for I can not write what I should like to say to you, is for you alone and I do not care to give full expression of my thoughts on paper to be perused by other eyes than yours so shall have to wait until I come up if I am not disappointed about that the same as I am in everything else. 

I was up to Belle’s Thursday and spent the day. Belle and I went out…we had such fun. I enjoyed my visit very much and wish the world had a few more like Belle in it. There would always be happiness and peace if every one were like her. But I am going to write a little note to Belle so I shall have to close with much love to you all I remain your loving Cousin,

Tina

1868

New York July 29, 1868

Dear cousin Emma,

I was very much surprised when I received those few lines from you asking me to answer your letter for I wrote to you more than a month ago and have looked for an answer so long that I had begun to think you had forgotten me or else I took up too much of your time by writing to you so often. But I am glad to find my self …although I can not account for your not receiving my letter, but there is no use trying  so much about it so I ask, let the subject drop.

So you are going to School in the village. Do you like it as well as you did going here? Mort said you came running out the schoolhouse to meet him and he could not think as to who it was. [Perhaps Tina's brother Mort.]

…Well Emma I was going to tell you that I cannot come up this summer and you cannot be home…disappointed than I am for I have made so much reckoning of coming and having such nice times with you but so it is and there is no use of murmuring.

Mother has been very sick but she is better now but her feet trouble her so that she cannot be on them at all. She does not even go out of the house, so you see I have enough to keep me busy and she could not possibly spare me this summer. I should dearly  love to come up if I could for the weather is perfectly intolerable here and I have not been well at all this summer, but I may as well maybe the …

Chapel is going to have a picnic on the second of August and I am going to attend. I wish you were here to go with me; but don’t you think they ought to wait one more day for the third of August is my 18th birthday and it would be quite an honor to me for them to celebrate my birthday. But I long to tell you that I was to your town to “Uncle Peters” [Maybe this is O P Schoonover that married Ann Mary Austin, daughter of Fanny and Ralph Austin?]. 

I went the first of July going with the intention of staying over a week, but they…urged me to stay much longer than I should like to have stayed…but I thought Mother needed me. While up there I formed the acquaintance of most all of Ernie’s relations. They were very friendly and sociable to me especially Carrie’s cousin Will Lavender. He was very gallant? and took me out riding and sailing very often and I tell you, Emma I just put…But enough of such nonsense. 

I want you to ask your folks to let you come and make me a good long visit this winter. I should be home all the time and you wont’ have to sleep in the the little old trundle bed either. Write soon and believe me, ever your loving cousin,

Tina

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