(Collection of Karen Nicholson, Arlington, VA)
Write soon and long
Boston Wednesday [Morn] /64
No 1. Allston Place
My Dear Doctor,
Your dear letter reached me yesterday & I always look forward to Tuesdays with pleasure. They are more delightful to me than all the other days of the week. I appreciate them because I know that you are so very busy & it is so kind and thoughtful of you to answer them so promptly. You asked me in your last how I would like to have you commence your letters to me. I reply as your heart dictates & you wouldn’t me. I read your last with much pleasure but as I came to the part where you spoke of your being ordered off I was filled with anguish for I pictured to my self the terrible Battle Field and all the horrors of this cruel war & you perhaps sick in a Hospital far away & I could not help the tears from coming into my eyes, I felt so badly that I disliked to go down to dinner to face all the people at the table. I am one of those beings of a very ____ emotional nature & people can always read my face and I cannot help it for it changes every moment when I am sour. I show it and when I am merry my eyes laugh first always.
You say that I must remember you in my prayers when you are away. You need not tell me that my dear friend for I never forget you in my prayers & I always pray that Our Heavenly Father will watch over you & keep you from all harm. . You say that you hope that I will think of you sometimes, I will promise you that I never will forget you. I think you are very brave & patriotic & I like it in you, & I think you are very much to be commended for never asking for a furlough. Now I am going to ask a favor of you. I will ask it very tenderly & gently & it is for you to request short one for 10 days only before you go away, for it is impossible for me to leave for mother is so delicate & I cannot leave her at present for she never will have anyone with her but me. She thinks no body can do as I can for my sister does not understand sickness & my grandmother is 80 years of age & you know that she can not be expected to do much at her age, although you would be surprised to see how active and handsome she is even now. She always speaks very kindly of you for I tell her when I receive a letter from you for I am a great pet with her, & she is very much interested in the war and & reads everything.
The reason that I call you my dear child - it is a favorite expression & of endearment of mine & that is why I called you so. I do not think you are a child by any means but quite the reverse for you are very manly in my eyes. But I do not care to stand in the relation of mother to you. You have requested me in two of your letters to write a love letter to you. Now it is your place to make the advances not mine, & if you write one to me and I shall expect a truthful one I shall reply to it. Do not think me bold if I in return send you a sweet kiss for the one which you sent me & as you may go away you ought to receive one, & here it is #.
You shall have my picture in my next for I think it will be completed by that time. I send you one of my gloves that I have worn you can see the size of my hand but allow me to say that the fingers are much too large for me. I find much difficulty to get gloves or boots to fit me. I was out yesterday to get a pair of boots & I came home without them. I shall have them made as I have been obliged to so do when in Baltimore I wear a pair 3 years and then they do not look very bad. I have one pair of gloves that mother bought while she was in Paris & they were a perfect fit & such beauties. I kept them a long time, when I go to Europe I shall get a supply for they are so cheap, mother bought a box of them but they are all gone.
You say my dear friend that if you go away that something might happen & that we may never meet. O do not say so for although I have never seen you I feel acquainted & I shall always feel a deep interest in you, to go back to what I intended to say about the glove, I sent it to you as a sweet & gentle talisman to keep you from all harm. Will you send me a lock of your hair. I think it will be a fair exchange as you have one of mine. I wish it because I like something tangible near flesh & blood. And I must certainly have it if you go away. You see that I am not one of those stoic heavy beings & I hope I never shall be. I am very glad that pretty lady is married for I should be very jealous.
I take quite an interest in the voting of the people of Maryland & I sincerely hope that Lincoln will be our next President. I read the papers every day with great interest. I wish you would write me in your next. If there will be any difficulty in my receiving letters from you if you are at the front. For I should be very much grieved if I cannot hear from you & imagine that you are sick or taken prisoner and everything that is so dreadful. Now__?__me in your next? I hope that you will not let any of my letters get scattered about for I know that men in the army are very careless because they have so many things to think of.
Now I will tell you why I have been silent about the living models. I have not been myself as yet therefore I can say nothing I have only heard my friends speak of it, but I will tell you about it as far as I can when I have been myself. I should like to show you my album I have a number of copies from celebrated pictures & I know you would like them. I am making a collection. Now do try & grant my request & come over in a month or so, if they refuse you I will be content.
My Dear little Walter has just come in to see me. He is 6 years & such a splendid fellow. I pet him very much & I expect I shall hold him when he is 21 years old. He likes to play with my curls and it is quite amusing to see him.
I have a very dear young lady friend & I have spoken often of you to her as she has a brother in the army & I should like to have you select someone for her for I should not be not be willing for anyone else to do it. She likes Southern gentlemen better than the northern ones. She is very light & delicate & quite tall & bright. If you approve of it now you see that I am very good to ask your approval in the matter for I should never like to do anything my dear friend that you would not like. But grant me the favor that whatever you write about her to send it on a separate sheet of paper for I have reasons for it. She likes very dark gentleman and you must promise me one thing that you never will write to her for I shall not like it if you do. One thing she is not a coquette & you know in your heart that I am not one, for I think life is too earnest for anything of the kind.
I am varnishing autumn leaves to decorate some of my pictures. I am so fond of Nature & particularly the fall of the year when everything is so very gorgeous. I was thinking of you the other afternoon while I was walking & enjoying the sunset, how you would admire our summer the trees are so lovely. I am very fond “mother says of bringing Nature into the house”. I like every thing home like & tasteful in the way of plants & books & if I do say it always make every thing look pleasant to the eye in some way or other. Now I wish not tire you any longer. Mother sends kind regards to you. From your sincere friend forever
E. W. Jones