Anna Webster Bunting letter to Martha Schofield

Sunny Side Worcester [Massachusetts] July 21st

My dear Mart
I feel in the writing,
mood this afternoon and think I will
"pay up" for all the letters I owe thee, soon,
if I continue as I have been doing the
past week. But I know they will be
always acceptable and I will not say, as
thee does to new in neatly every one "I
fear it shall trouble thee" etc. If I
have been a very bad girl. I fully intend
to be a good one now and have commenced
in the very best of humors tho'
I felt a little pillish last night, because
I did not get a letter from thee
The will say "Now thee know how [underlined:good]
it is to wait when thee is looking anxiously
to receive one". Well, I did think
so myself so [?] my punishment with a
very much humble spirit. But to tell
the truth I was anxious & thought

[crosshatched text]

[?] Mary & the goods have come [so?]
we shall go to work to fix the house
[illegible]

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certainly I shall hear from thee. I have
been worrying all the week for hear thee
was offended at the last two I wrote thee.
Then my better judgement would say "to
indeed, she is not the kind of a girl to
get angry because I tried to explain things
to her, and she thinks too much of me
for anything of that kind"
Oh dear, I wish I had thee
hear to talk to this afternoon. I think my
tongue would be busy for an hour or two
at any rate: perhaps I should tell thee, however ,
and make thee wish heartily that
thee was at home and Anna Webster a
thousand [?] off. Aunt Addie is [?]
[?]. So I am at present. The only known
animal about the house, unless Lide &
the kittens have lately wakened up. It
is quite cool here at Sunny Side, today.
There is a splendid air stirring, I should
have gone down to [?] [Street] this morning
had I not expected to go tomorrow.
The old 15th Regiment, are expected in

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the city and are to have a grand reception.
I hope my cousin Wallace Park will be
among them but have heard no news since
he was sent to the [Philadelphia] Hospitals. Do
tell me all about thy intervieiw with Dr
Taylor and how thee succeeded in writing
to Secretary Stan [?]. I feel much interested
in it, and only wish I could aid
thee in accomplishing thy wishes. I do
hope these poor men are not suffering at
the Summit House for of proper care.
Uncle John Taylor complained dreadfully
of the Hospital Surgeons around Washington
He says the boys do not get
half what is sent them by the Sanitary
[?] that the [?] winds &
load the Doctor's tables, and much
of the clothing is kept back for the same
[?]. Oh, it makes my blood boil
with indignation to think such proceedings
are allowed. But we poor women can
do nothing, but worry and fret ourselves
to death: still keeps making clothes.

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giving delicacies for the sick and wounded.
Their not knowing that they will ever
make a poor suffering soldier's heart
glad. Oh dear, Mart, do let us go as
nurses. I can hardly stay at home, for
I feel that it is my duty to do my share
towards caring for them- I dread the
coming fall very much. Only think of the
immense amount of new men to be put into
the field, 500,000! I fear [New York] will not
submit to the draft without trouble. It
is filled with [underlined: copperheads]: thee knows as
well about it as I. If [General] Seymour raises
15,000 men to resist the draft, as is reported
I should think it would inflict
a blow on the government that would cause
it years to recover, if not utterly crushing
it. Oh, if the North were only [underlined:united]. How
soon the war would be closed. We cannot
[?] why this horrible curse has [?]
us, desolating our home causing so
many wretched hearts: yet [crossed out: if] we should
not [underlined: murmur] or think that God has
utterly forsaken us. No..no He never will
[underlined: leave his children] and some day we may
see that it has all been for our
greatest good. It is our proud sinful
hearts, that cause us to rebel & distrust
His divine care and love.

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[Number] 2
I know there is no evil, so terrible in
its effects, nothing that causes so much
misery, suffering and unhappiness as war.
But it now brought upon us, by wicked
rebellious men who wished to overthrow
our government. No true lover of his
country [illegible] patriot could sit idle and
[?] the liberty bought by his fathers'
blood, trampled upon and crushed to
[illegible] and the glorious stars and
[?] trailed to the dust in dishonor. I
know thee thinks as I do about this and
with me bless our brave boys who have
sacrifice their lives [inserted:nobly] to defend their
flag and county. But this is a subject
we [illegible] thought of before this and
I will say no more about it now.

I suppose Mary Sipler has
got home before this, although I have
heard nothing from her. She was to
go too New Jersey for a week or two after
arriving in [Philadelphia]. Thee call and see
her, and she can tell thee all about

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us and her visit: much more than I
can think of to write. I sent a note by her
to John, just two or three [lines?] written
with a lead pencil, thinking he would
certainly go to his cousins, Mary Berry's,
to see her as soon as she arrived. To hear
from us for I had not written him for
some time, but it seems he did not for
about a week after he wrote he did not
know whether she had got home or not
and seeing no letter from myself.
I worried knowing she was [not?] accustomed
to traveling, but I heard in a day or
two afterwards, that she arrived safely

Does John often come up to your
house? He never says anything in his
letters about any of you girls and I have
wondered if he was as social as formerly.
It often rised to provoke me thathe would
never tell me about Darby people, but it
did no good, so I got, over it I should
not know much about them, were it not
for thee and Mary. I do feel grateful to

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you both for writing me so often. My whole
interest seems in & around that one place
It is strange for my own mind how I
gradually have given up my associations
my childish friends. Out of [?] all. I
have now only one [illegible]
[illegible]. They are & will ever be dear to me
as memories of the past but I now live
a [underlined: new] life, my thoughts are concentrated
around one form, and wherever he is
associated, there my interest always [insist?]
[?]. I love my old friends, my relatives very
much but I have a dearer tie that binds
me to life and though [inserted: my heart] [crossed out: it] still clings to
[illegible] family it has bound me
[illegible], in a stronger, holier tie,
than all my former associations could
do. Thee is connected so intimately with
my happiness there, that my heart turns
to thee as to a sister and I trust our
friendship will prove as strong and
faithful while life shall last as it always
done, in years past. We have

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both confided much to each other, though we
would not have the world know and [this?] very
trust should always make our friendship
sacred. Thee has often thought I told John
things thee has confided in me-but this is
[underlined: not so]. Thy secrets have ever been as sacred
to [underlined: my own] heart as mine have to thee. Tho
I think there should be perfect freedom between
husband and wife, there are many little things
that it would be wrong to tell. I know how I
should feel if [underlined: thee] was married. Many things I
have told thee, that should I think thy had
[?] of [underlined: any other] person know, I should
feel badly, not because I would not feel that
I would have sympathy but there is a [underlined:sacredness]
[inserted: in them] to my own heart that to have others
know it, I should feel that they might not
be appreciated [underlined: and of course], strangers [underlined:could]
not do it, however kindly they might feel
towards me. I thank my Heavenly Father
that [illegible sentence]
friends as thee or John, my two [underlined:dearest] [?]
earth, save my own family.

But I must [?] now.
Thee will think I intend to deluge thee
with long letters, but I know they are
always acceptable and I do not care
how much I write. Good bye now
Write me as soon as thee can & as often as
thee has time. I remain Ever
Thy loving friend A.


[Envelope Writing]
answered

Miss Martha Schofield
Darby [Pennsylvania]
[Delaware County]