lence.

"Oh, if he could only hear straight from me!" she exclaimed. "For he
thinks, Ma'am, I don't write because I gets no money. 'T isn't the money
I care for. I'd sooner never have a cent from him than have him keep
a-thinkin' I don't send no letters."

When she said this, big round tears fell down like pebbles on her cheeks
and hands and apron. Of course I offered to write for her, saying that I
would do so once a week, if she wished. She then gave me his last letter
to read, which I will copy without correction; for he wrote it himself,
being "a scholar," as she said, with some little pride.

And she endowed him with another possession, or gift, which seemed to
give her almost as much satisfaction as his scholarly attainments.

"He kin see _sperits_, Ma'am, as plain as me and you sees folks; and so
kin his little boy, his fust wife's child. Once when I was a-walkin' in
the road with 'em, one moonlighty night, when we was a-goin' home to
Spring-Town, them two stepped quick-like away from the path.

"'Lucy,' says my husband, says he, a'most in a whisper, 'quick! step
furder over on t' other side.'

"After we got along a piece, them both told me there wor a band of
_sperits_ a-comin' along; and if we gets out of the way of 'em, them
don't do us no hurt, you know."

I did not like to suggest to the credulous wife that probably her sharp
husband had been seeing at the tavern, before starting on the homeward
walk with her,

"Black spirits and white,
Blue spirits and gray."

I fancy the cunning fellow, with a true masculine, marital love of
power, had wished to inspire this young wife of his with a becoming awe
and reverence for her him. But we will return to his letter.

"Januwerry the/18teen, 1864, Mooreses Island

"MY DEARE WIEF

"i take this opertunity to informe you that i am not well at
preasante. and i hope you are injoyin' goode helthe providin
that they ever doe finde you and of you are enny whares that
you can be found

"Enny whares in the State of N Jarsey.

"And i hev been in the servise 6 monthes. And i hev writen
sume 15teen or 16teen leturs and hev not reseved but 3
leturs from you yet sences i have been in the servise

"And i wante you to write to me in answer to this letur and
let me know what you meane to doe and ef you donte intend
writin why jess say so.

"i suppose because you didente get no munny you wo