Augusta County: Letitia R. Smiley to Sister (Mary?),
January 30, 1867
Summary:
Smiley delivers news about school and about her friends and acquaintances there.
She discusses academics, weddings, social interactions, health, and general
news. At one point she mentions hearing noise from outside and assuming it was
"darkies shouting."
Jan 30th 1867
A. F. Seminary Staunton Va
My dear sister
As Rebecca expects to go home tomorrow I thought I would write home by her. I
have been very well since I wrote home with the exception of cold. Maggie Dudley
went home last Monday and right sorry we were to have her go. After Annie Fulton
found out Miss Mary would let Mag go she wrote home to see if her Pa would let
her go. he asked last week if she would let her her off. She said if anyone else
tried to get off she wouldn't go but if they didn't she might go, &
would let her know the last of this week & if you hear me that will be
the end of it. Becca is almost crazy to get home. She looks like she thinks
tomorrow will never come. Mary Scheffer is going home next week. Miss McClure is coming next Friday and will take Mary's place in
the room I suppose M
r
Flynn from Georgia will be here with his daughter soon. He is a
Presbyterian preacher & some of the teachers were wishing he would
happen here on Sunday & preach. They had one of their little concerts
here last Saturday night. The music was very good but it certainly was the
driest hateful old thing, afterwards ever was the compositions were charming, charming. Miss
Mary gave them to brother [unclear: Ed] to read. Mary Turk's was read
& she was powerfully scared. Just after we came from church Sunday
night. we heard such a dreadful hollering. we went bursting out on the porch,
thought it was the darkies shouting. but it was the cry of fire. we all thought
it was [added: in] the American Hotel. &
didn't know any better till the
[page 2]
next morning when we found out it was
a chimney in the Methodist Institute. the consequence was we didn't have any
fire that night. We all went to the Lyceum last Friday night a week. The
question discussed was "Is the mind of woman naturally equal to that of man. I
don't know when I laughed so much, liked Howe
Peyton's speech the best: I tell you he is smart to be such a witchy looking
creature. Law Mary I broke our bedstead down last Saturday evening, went to sit down on the bed when
such a racket & clatter as I never heard before. I looked around to see
what was the matter, when lo! & behold, bed
& me
were both on the floor. I gathered myself up &
went to work & made the old thing up, when down it came again. so I had
to go & tell Miss Agnes. Uncle Chess propped it up with a box. I tell
you we had to lie mighty still that night; for every time we would move, one of
the slats would drop out & by morning three or four of them were on the
floor, but we are getting better used to the lame thing now. Becca says she is
bound to go down to see you when she goes home. & when that time comes,
you must be very entertaining as I don't expect she will
talk much. We had a regular cat & dog fight this morning, nearly all the girls got
frightened & run into Miss Howard's room
& frightened her nearly to death, said there was noise enough for some
terrible catastrophe, but the affair was finally
settled by the cat; it leaving the schoolroom screaming. Miss Baldwin is getting high up in the picture. she read the
rules out the other morning at the breakfast table. some of them were if a girl
don't get to the breakfast table in less than five
minutes, after the ringing of the bell, she gets one demerit: if not there at
all she gets two. etc. you may believe we all go
down even if we were half dead.
[page 3]
Thursday night. The girls are studying for Trigonometry examination. they appear
to be a good deal frightened. say they don't know any
more about it than if they had never seen inside of a book. I want you to try
& borrow Butler's Analogy for me, as I don't think it will be very long till we will need it: we
finished the 1
st
book of Roman History this morning & in consequence of that and
the examination I haven't many lessons for tomorrow We are continually changing
servants here. Uncle Chess' wife has had two strokes of Apoplexy & is
not expected to live. she is Patsy's mother & she had to go &
take care of her. I'll declare there are some of the
biggest geese here ever was. they run at the least noise, just now one of the
chairs fell over against the chimney. some of them run like a wolf was after
them. others declared [deleted: there] some big thing had fallen down
the chimney, & I don't know but what they would
have had the town aroused, if some of us hadn't told
that cause of the disturbance. Mary Smith's party comes off in about two weeks.
she was here last Saturday inviting some of the girls I suppose. Heard Ella G
Saying Saturday there would be nothing done but talk & fix for three
weeks. Nealie Sout was here one day this week. the girls say they never saw as
great a change on any person. I suppose you have heard of the sad death of her
brother before this. Mrs Wills came this evening. I haven't seen her but the
girls say she is mighty pretty. she has a might sweet little baby too. guess by
the time she gets away from here he'll be so cross she can't manage him. I think
this day will about finish your sleigh-riding. I was startled half out of my
wits the other day by Lucy's saying, Tish, Pa told me
[page 4]
to tell you he
expected your ma would have to send for you soon. he said you had just been
going a riding. Mary had a letter from Nat Wallace the other day. says M
rs
Charlie Irvine has a fine boy: I heard about that [unclear:
tother
] one. Little
Christ but didn't hear
whether it was pretty or not. Were you up there at
preaching that evening? A great many people think [unclear: Meg's]
sister is to be married soon to D
r
Trevy. I don't know but shouldn't be surprised if
it did come off. By the way I heard M
r
McGauley was going down into that neighborhood to go
into business. Mary & Annie[deleted: s] are writing compositions tonight, stories
about young widows in the lone cottage by the sea, appears to be rage with them
this time Jinnie Beard had not heard that Nize was married heard though that she
was to be & says I suppose when she steps out on the floor she will feel
like closing her female eyes..she sent her love to you & Anna said Mary
to write her. Now if you don't write & tell me
all the news I'll, I'll, well I don't what I'll do. If people ask you how I am getting along down
here, you can tell them, very well, when I can take the time and patience to
write this much. Write soon and often to your
Affectionate sister
Letitia R. Smiley
I went down street but couldn't find any buttons the size of that one, there were some just like it but a size smaller. If you think they will do you can let me know and I will send them to you the first opportunity.
