Augusta County: Mary Anna Sibert to David H. Evans,
June 2, 1866
Summary:
Sibert thanks Evans for sending flowers and muses on the impermanence of even
beautiful things.
June 2, / '66.
Cottage by the Lake
Mr. D.H. Evans,
I can scarcely thank you sufficiently for the exquisite bouquet you sent me. It
would give me more pleasure to acknowledge in person the sincerity of my thanks,
& [unclear: tender] appreciation with which I received,
& will keep this [illeg.], but beautiful, & expressive
token of your valued remembrance. I cannot decide
which I most admire, its [illeg.] fragrance, the rich variety of its
hues
[page 2]
or the artistic arrangement of the entire collection. All are
alike admired, & enjoyed as a gift from you I love flowers, but
[unclear: more] especially when they come to me culled, &
arranged by esteemed hands. With the beauty & fragrance of your gift,
there came a regret resting like a blot upon each flower, & bud, a
regret that its loveliness will so soon perish, that I cannot keep it always
fresh, & blooming as now. The faded remains, & remembrance
[page 3]
shall be mine, pointing back in future years
to the bright days when I enjoyed your friendship. May the pathway that God has
marked for you to tread bloom with flowers of unfading beauty, &
happiness. And may the fair & tender hands of her you select as your
wife gather for you flowers without thorns & lead you onward to Heaven.
Very truly
Your friend
Mary A. Sibert
