Nett-Helen Letters-14 Feb 1888-Nett to Helen

Nett-Helen Letters

Letter from Nett to Helen - Feb. 14, 1888

I dont know whither I can get my bamboozeld mind collected enough to write an interresting letter or not, but I will try all the same. Your long looked for letter came to us yesterday & I can well account for us not getting one from you, sooner when my' last was so long on the road. I cant see why it is your too last ones came so quick & my last one was a week. I was just commencing supper last night when Dick came from work & with your letter. I saw the end of envelope sticking out of his waist pocket & I knew it & made a grab & took it all at one dab. & soon heard from our Dad. well you know we was all glad to hear from you & know you are spending the time so happily together but sorry to hear of you, Helen, boiling over so much. I know you must feel awful bad & do you have the patience of poor old Jobe. I guess this leaves us about all able to eat & kick. Dick has been complaining for a week or more with such a dull heavy ache & sometimes a pain in his left side till it has become real sore. he still keeps at work every day. I beg him to quit long enough to go to a Dr & get some medicine but he wont take [ad]vice & if he gets sick he wont have me to flect or will he. I am afraid he will. Mabel has a cold but it dont seem tight. She seems lively & cheerful & plays all the time only when she is sleeping. but she looks so frail & her appetite is so poor. she dont eat anything but fried mush & butter. I have to keep it made to fry every meal for her or the child would not eat a bite I guess. I have taken her away from home several times lately thinking she was tired of what we have & some body else cooking would taste better to her but she would just mince & I could not see what she would eat. she is asleep now. has been taking a sleep in day time for several days past.

Well I dont know whither I can give a true run of the weather since my last or not but I know it has been taking some terrible notions. the day I sent my last away it remained somewhat foggie & in the afternoon sprinkled rain a little. & by dark it was a dense fog. Late did not get home from Cairo till after dark. I was real uneasy till he came for I thot he would surly get bewildered in such a terrible fog & not find the way home but he drove like the old Nick he said for fear he might get lost. Well the next day was so foggie we could not see any distance atal & thursday morn was the same till about 10. it began to pour down rain & I was setting by the stove hold Mabel & worrying because Dick did not take Lates slicker with him when Uncle Jim Lyd & Nell drove up before the door & yelled just as wet as rats. we got them in thier wet wraps off & it quit raining. it began to sprinkle just before they got to Robys but they thot it would amount to much & drove on & it just poured down before they got near here. they had some Beef they wanted to sell & thot they could sell it at Isabel is what brat them up & they thot it would just keep on fogging like it had done all the week. Dick came to dinner. they had been working out west by Sand Creek & said it only sprinkled there. Aunt Lyd & Uncle Jim started home about 4 & Nell staid. We all thot the weather would catch cold after the rain but it did not. it just staid cloudy & dismal till Sat afternoon. it turned colder & tried to snow & do wonders but give it up sometime during the night & cleared off. Sun morn was bright but the wind was in the north. it made it somewhat cool for awhile but not long. we went down to Eds. Nell, Dick & Ed went to Preaching. Skinner filled the appointment that day. Ollie & I staid at home.

I held her babe while she got dinner. & after dinner we eat Peanuts & Nell & Ollie took turns playing on the organ. Nell can beat her playing. Mond morn the wind was in the south & real chilly & cloudy. Nell & I patched up the places where the paper had bursted loose & I could not fix it back alone very well. You know. & while we was about to finish Ella Morris & kids come driveing up. she said she come to see me awhile & to take me down to school in the afternoon as it was the last day we must go. So after dinner Nell made Late take her home & Ella & I went to School. Nell made me promise that if it was nice the next Sun Dick & I would come down & start early. not wait til noon. when we got to school Mrs Williams & Sue was there & Morans folks come & the most of the children spoke pieces & so ended the school. Tues the wind blew & was cloudy Wed morn was cloudy & wind in the South & real cold. Mont Moran & Effie Barlow & Dick went to the Lodge. Dick to draw her money for her & Mont & Effie to get married. It cleared off about noon & the rest of the day was real warm & pleasant. Mrs Williams came to visit me that day & we had a good time. that night a big crowd went in to Isabel & give the bride & groom a big belling & music by the band & took a box of cigars to go around. it turned cold before the boys got home. was cold & trying hard to snow & things. Thurs morn snowing as hard as ever it could. Late went to Pratt City that day to haul a load of goods down for Brack Glover. I was so near sick when D. come home for dinner that he would not leave me to go back to work. in the afternoon. he done the house work & I laid on the bed. Late did not get home till after one o'cl that night. my paper is full & can you read any of it.

Fri Morn. Still bright & warm as a spring morn. the boys are husking corn out of the pen. the chickens works on it so much they cant stand it. Less saw in his last Linn News that Don Allen has taken out lisence to marry. Well done for crooked eyed Don. he did see strait once didnt he. but who is she. Mabel says she spects Grandpa is eating apples yet. her knee is still swelled & when it was so damp & foggie it affected her badly some days she could hardly go & would fret & cry out in her sleep that her legs hurt. Well I must go to ironing & I dread it to. Nelly Roby & her grandpa will be back from McP next week. Toms talk of moving to Isabel. dont know what for. the old man is going to garden this summer.

2) Glover has concluded to locate in Isabel & has his shop partley up. he is going to move in Lates house & the Preacher mans are going to Nashville this week if his wife gets able to move. she is sick now. Sat while you was writing & said it looked so wintery there it was real bright & warm here. D. would not leave me to go on the Section that day either so he just rustled around in the morn & said he was going to wash & he done a big washing & got it done by noon. I done the bossing & hung them out & the wind fliped & flaped them about at times terrible. Sun Morn dawned so bright & pretty with very little wind & it was in the north west. we got up early & Late let us have his mules & buggie but he wouldnt go. & D. & Mabel & I started down to Browns by eight o'cl railroad time too. Well we did not drive fast but we got down there just as they had just got up from the Breakfast table. Aunt Lyd went out to the hen house & got the turkey gobler she had been saving till I come down & soon had it in the oven roasting for dinner. well it did not get quite tender enough but was very good, & when we started home she put a great big bucket of onions & a can of tomatoes in the buggie & said they had so many of both & would not eat them. They made everything as pleasant as possible for us. there was no one there but us. Aunt Lyd looked & acted so much like Ma use to when you & Will would come over. said she wanted to see Pa so bad before he went & they did not know he had gone till they saw it in the Isabel Items in the Cresset. Uncle Jim & Nell played on the organ & sung real nice. Late went after wood yesterday & hauld as much as Less & Ed had on both of thier wagons. & long toward night it began to haze over·& at dark there was a big black bank all in the north & west & looked like rain but during the night the wind changed & come down from the north & made every door & window about the house clatter & has kept it up all day so far. Late was going to Cairo again for flour for Woller & started & got as far as the Store & Woller told him it was to bad, for him to go home. & Late said he didnt insist on going.

Wed. afternoon. the 15th. I will try & talk a little more by way of paper. Late has gone to Cairo & Dick had orders to take his dinner with him today so Mabel & I are alone again. but I see Sue coming so I guess we wont be alone long. I am baking bread & cooking some beans & bacon & going to finish my last weeks ironing. & want to write all I can so I can send this away tomorrow. do you think I will get it all done. This is a much warmer & brighter day than yesterday was. what wind there is in the north & was pretty cold for a while this morn. but is warmer now. I wonder what you are all doing today. how I would love to be with you. I wonder if Pa realized he was in the old neighborhood & if it really seemed like the old old place. We often wonder where he is & if he has thot anything about coming home. his three weeks that some give him to be gone & come back is up now & Less is counting the days. he is so anxious for him to come back. I really believe the fellow is disappointed because he is so contented there & has not said anything about comeing home. but I am grad he is haveing such a nice time & want him to get all around. & he must not forget any of the happenings for we will want to know all of them. there has been three weddings since he left. Minnie Thompson & one of the Brillon Boys were married by our preacher the Thurs after he left. then Purcival Robbison & Alllie Everhart came to the Preachers house too weeks today & were married. Mont & Effie was married a week today & left Mond for Sedgwick Co. Mr Crouch of Spring Creek is the happy man & Father of twin boys. 8½ lbs each. Aunt Lyd said they did not look one bit alike.

Well it is lamp light. Sue come & I did not get to write much. Late is reading. Mabel did not take her sleep today & she was ready for her bed early. D. has just come from Isabel. he went up after supper to get some Soap. he is going to wash tomorrow he says. Pat the dog flew to cursing him this afternoon & he droped his tools picked up his coat & dinner pail & come home. Pat is a regular dog to work for & Dick would not be run over & cursed by him. he saw him at the store tonight & Pat spoke very pleasant but he never let on he heard him. Joe Morris & Pat for it now. Pat was on another big drunk last week. this is a very pretty night. the young moon gives some light. I did not know anything about the eclipse that night or I should have looked. Liss Roby said she saw it as they come to the Library. yes Helen Mrs Williams said for me to tell you that if you have plenty of onion sets to send her as many as you can spare after you take out what you are going to send me. & for Pa to pay you for them & she will pay him. I told her I would tell you but I did not know how many you had for you had never said. she is the best woman. she said she would come & help me make my soap when I got ready. I told her if she would I would give her soap for it & she looked pleased about it. for she has to by her soap & has a hard time to get along. I was telling the boys I thot people ought to donate to her instead of the preacher. I would much more willingly. Late got a letter today from Billie Green. he did not know whither he could come to Kans. this spring or not. he wanted Pa to come by & see them. they live near Fountain Grove in Linn Co. He said Marshal Barns is married but did not say where he was. Aunt Lyd saw a man when she was up to Reno Co. that lives in Kingman & he was telling about one of the Drury Girls & said he that her name was Loie working at a place there & she stole some little thing. but the folks did not make any fuss about it. she then went some place else to work & stole a gold watch & chain & they got out a warrant to arrest her & she skipped out with some man. Late saw the Section Boss today from Cairo to Ninnescah but did not say which one. I can hardly believe that either one of them would get so low as to steal.

Thursday afternoon. I am haveing a rather distracted effort getting my letter wrote & I guess you will be anxious about us by the time you get it. Dick has got his washing out floping in the breezie wind. & we did not have dinner till after we got it & the muss all cleared away. then I made a Jollie old Hen Pie & we all eat till we are full in. as Mabel says. & after dinner her & the Boys went to Isabel to see if there is any mail. you see it took them all to go. She begged so hard to go she said she hadnt been there since granpa went away of a long time ago & she brot thing long out. very long to. she wishes every day that granpa would come home. she writes a letter to him & will come to me with any old letter or Paper & say here Ma this is from grandpa.

There has been one carload of hay shiped from Isabel to Ashland & then Yeoman shiped a car of goods to Englewood. there was 12 big wagon loads of goods brot from the Lodge & loaded up here. I guess he is going to run a Store out there to. & George Robbison is in the Jail at Lodge for stealing goods out of that store he clerked in. he was going back the other night after the second batch & his wife went & reported & told them the goods he had stolen was in the house. for them to go & get them. she would not harbor stolen goods about her house. he has drank up & gambled away all his wages this winter & his wife & children at home destitute of food & clothes.. Less & Ed Carter is helping Glover with his shop today. The Preachers wife is sick with a catarh in her head. Sues Pap has not been well for several days. he complains of such distress & his back & his sides & his kidneys did not act. I guess I had better quit or 1'1 I have to much.

3) this is a warmer day than yesterday was & the wind is in the South & has begun to cloud over again. I hope you are haveing nice weather there & good roads to go around in. the roads are very good here some places was rough Sunday. I can imagine I see Ross & Blanch bending over thier work. I wouldnt care if they was dirty about the apple drying. I would have the satisfaction of knowing it was clean dirt that they would be about. but when we buy the fruit we dont know how nasty it is. for pity sake Helen dont spoil yours & the childrens comfort with Pa trying to get apples dried for me but let them alone & visit while you can. keep him as long as you can. everything is doing just as well here as it would if he was here. Mabel often asks me if I wouldnt like to see Grandpa. I tell her NO I dont want to see him & she will look at me as strait & sober & then say Oh I know you do to. I do Ma. & Sue & Mrs Williams went over to Kerrs today visiting. I dont know where it is Sue dont go. Coffman & one of his boys went to quarterly meeting at Social Plain. it was a bad time for meeting. there is $18 back on Bethel. what ailed Jock Young’s wife & what will he do now. I have forgotten whither he had any girl besides Maggie or not that can keep house for him. Harves weakly wife out lived Jane at last. & she used to be so stout & Jollie. why didnt you turn & go back to the burying. you could have seen so many you use to see.

the stock that was in the stable at Isabel was sold out in the Lodge. but there is a hack still goes down as Lee Robison sends one down when there is anyone to go. I see there was too went down today. Eggs is down to 10¢ per doz & wont buy at I. we dont make any butter & dont get but 8 & 9 eggs a day so I guess we are about as well off as if we got an abundance. I guess our hens is really to fat to lay much & there was too that was impudent enough to want to set. I was tempted to set them but that it rather early to set hens. O I eat onions for dinner. do you smell me. We have had several messes of parsnips & they were awful good. Mabel & Dick has come back & she said Tom Knight give her some candy & she forgot to bring some home. our poor Friskie dog has had the distemper. we was afraid he would go blind but he is better now & seems like he cant get enough to eat & he is just as attentive to the cattle heels as ever. I believe he misses Pa as much as any of us. does Ed McCarty talk of going on to Iowa. Sue says she is afriad he will spend all the money he has while he is in Mo & then he cant go on. I dont know why she is so anxious for him to go. Late says we are going to have a fresh cow before long but I dont believe it. Well I have wrote all I can think of so I guess I had better quit for fear I will think of something else. I do wonder if Kate will come with Pa or is it all talk & no cider. George will kick up before the time comes for her to start. I recon Orra thinks himself a young man. Now Pa did you go to Dotys while you was over there. if you did not you must be sure & go before you come back. & Helen you must go with him if you can. you will not regret it for Mary & her mother are so good & kind. I just expect to see Pa comeing home with too or three big stumps straped on his back. dear dear. them big shirts too small. & I cut them larger than the one he said just suited him. what will become of men that get too big for thier clothes.. good bye for this time with love & kisses from Mabel & I to all. write soon & tell all the news for we are always anxious. as ever. Nett.