Augusta: Amanda C. Armentrout to William F. Brand,
June 5, 1866
Summary:
After some difficult times, Kate writes to William pleading with him to correct
his ways and fearful of his salvation.
Miss Amanda C. Armentrout
Greenville
Augusta County
Virginia
June 5th
My once friend
I come to the conclusion last Sabbath
never to send [added: that I had
writen] or write to you again but not until I heard from you again
as you thought perhaps but to quit corresponding; but your dear brother was here last night & we
talked about you; he asked when I had heard from you I told him & also
said I did not expect to reply & he gave me one condemning look & I have thought ever since that I heard a
soft low voice saying Kate dont give him up. Oh my poor wayward boy whose voice
is it Ah me thinks it must be he that of thy dear mothers & feel very
thankful this evening that I have heard it yes I can thank my heavenly Father
this evening that I am very happy yes happy in the Lord & I ask my self
why can't Willie be happy why is he grieving over this worlds happiness
& not looking forward as he once did to [added: a] world beyond the [unclear: dark] why is
it that there are no brightness no sunshine that this
world is dark & dreary not a charm to bind you to earth I ask why:
& I believe that I can give you the answer will you allow me yes I believe you will
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I will tell you what I think
it is your sins Oh dear one you are brooding over my sorrows trouble &
thinking how you will make me happy now let me beg of you dear one to forget me
for a while [added: &] think of yourself yes
if I could come to you to night & fold my arms around your neck
& pray for you I believe my earthly happiness would be complete (not that I want to win back your affections to me for I leave that with God) but Oh that I
could win you back to the foot of the cross & get you to cast your care
on Jesus he is able & willing to turn your
darkness in to day you know the head of him yes dear one I believe he is knocking at the door of your heart & ere this
yes when you wrote before I think he had been there Oh Willie I have fasted [added: & prayed] every Wednesday since I got
your discard & I have been very very happy I believe that the good Lord
has melted & moved your dear heart ere this yes in several instances my prayers have been answered in less than a week is
not this joy enough yes I have spent one Sabbath
[added: in] fasted & prayer besides
Wednesdays & I can say with [added: joy it was the]
[deleted: a very] happiest day I believe I ever spent.
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no
one knows that I done this but Lord & thee I (fast) done it for you & I think you ought to know it or for the
salvation of your Lord yes I am willing to sacrifice my life for [added: it] (that) but that is not necessary for Jesus Christ was sacrificed for our sins. Oh dear one
how often times I think of that happy prayer meeting we had in Greenville just before the war broke out that good prayer that you offered up that night this was some of the words Oh that
we might [unclear: strike] for the [unclear: press] of the high
calling in Christ Jesus; was that not a happy night have you forgotten it; you
felt that God was with you & he is with you now dont refuse his
pleadings he loves you dearer than he did then dont think that your sins are too
great he begs you to cast your burden upon him he is able to engulf you in Christ again but dear dear
Willie let me beg of you to quit the distillary
& go & pay the tax that you have not payed on it & pray
to God to give you grace to over come the other sins that has beset you
& resolve in your own heart to be come a christian again; as you dear brother said to day Kate you know he was once a
good boy but
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that is such a wild neighborhood Oh I wish he had never gone
there & we both came to the same conclusion that that distillary was the cause of all your trouble going a
gainst your Pas will & John says it is grieving your dear Pa so much Oh Willie what must I do
for to get you to change if I thought if crawling on
my hands & knees would to you & pleading & praying
& begging would make this change I would do it
yes you wish to know what you must do for my happiness do this Willie be come a
good man if you cant do it up there come to your Pa he can adivse you &
pray for your help in every way. Oh Willie the harvest
is great & you once was a labourer wont you come out again & help me to labour I feel that I am almost alone yes I
believe you will for I dreamt the other night that I
met you in the harvest field I was there & had my rake but there was no
one to cut the grain for me but presently you came
& set down the cradle & was whetting before you saw me but as
soon as you seen me we both wept & you took my hand as you use to but
enough Now Willie you may be the means of saving the souls of those that led you
astray return O wanderer return Jesus bids you come I long to see you in prayer
meeting & class meeting in our good old
Methodist Church the bright star that you once was may I not hope for it yes
& believe that you will come; tomorrow is my fast day Oh how I wish you
could get this & keep it with me but you can have a day of your own
& fast & pray it has made me strong in spiritual strength & in bodily strength Willie you can
keep that ring I did not mean the whole love I gave that
to you but I dont care for any do you wish your you can get it any time you call
for it try & forget the past & become a good christian I hope
that that the time will soon come that we will soon rejoice in Christ Jesus that
this all happened if you should get sick or anything happen you & you
want to see me or want a friend to wait on you send or let me know & I
will do for you yes it would make me very happy to do so but I find that Jesus
is our best freind if all others forsake he will not then let us tell all our
griefs to him he bids as pray & pray again but I must close you can use your own pleasure
Your true friend
I would like to hear from you as often as I could but your will is my pleasure. I rejoice that I have confidence in you through Jesus Christ I believe that ere this month closes that you will be a changed man Oh my dear Savior speed the day
