Mouth of White River Arkansas Oct the 25th My Dear Lizzie I shall imbrace the present opportunity of writing you a short letter large letter papers is my preferance but it cannot be had here now infact this place is not gluted with good things knowhow no nice letter paper no nice envelops no nice penns & no stamps of any kind & realy evry thing has a blunt appearance I quit writing & went & worked 2 hours puting coal on a boat now let me say that I have been studeing about you all day I dreamd of being with you last night & I waked up at two o clk & I near wanted to go home so bad in all my life infact I was sorter ashamd of my self to think of going home at this time of the season yes I couldent go to sleep any more but kep thinking of you & the children & now after studeing all day about you words would fail yes the English Language would fail to express my fealings to day it seamed to me this morning that all gloom & the dangers of our contry seamd to pass off & I would have given any thing in reason & allmost out of reason to have sean you & my litle children shurly (as I thought to day) it is almost to grate for natur to sustain. for a man to live so long from his companion I think it is requiring to much at the hands of frail beings like us when I think of past time when I was blest with the happiness of being with you yet the impression comes up & I am made to think I was happy but poore creatur I knew it not just think for a moment how we are pron to eavel in grumbling at our present condition allways worse rit now that any time previous now aply it to our selves once we were together all the time day day after day & night was we to gether had plenty of the nesarys of life & good enough for any person but was we happy I was not I did not know how to appreciate my condition now Lizzie let me say trust in God & allways be happy but you may say this is a bad time to comence yes so but beter once than never study your condition & what it could be if you was not so well or so well fixed or so provided for by a kind providence you may say I am not so well provided for as to hurt but stop you look at the mater to slitly have you a house have you a good bed to sleep as take your rest on during the long winter knight can you make up a fier shut the doors & be warm have you enough to satisfy the appetite at proper times (sometimes a litle scant M A Hooker) if so are you satisfied yes shurly you ought to be yes thare is the litle children to keep you company with there litle pratle how sweet how pleasant how delitful in a word comfortable of Lizzie try to be content with life Mac Mac there was a man came along this morning & said he had no men to put coal on the boat & he would give 30 cents an hour for us to help him 2 hours so I with some others went & helpt him it is the 1st money that I have made at work in a long time I will send it to you & you may do what you pleas buy something that will do you some good with it if you want to I do not know when we will draw not soon tho I dont think I have a litle to by paper & pens & envelops & tobaco tho I am geting scarce now as you said that you had to go to bed I say go on honey & if I could I would go with you but it is rather to early now to go to bed I will come after a while I received a letter just now from you dated October the 14th & maild the 17th you say you are geting fat I am glad you are all well & appear to be doing well tel unkle Jo if he does not quit geting them litle Copperheads our Contry is ruind & I will have him arested & put in jail (a joke) tel Martha to write to me when ever she feals like it if you was to come to me on picket some night I would not know you but I would get aquainted Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723