1863.

"Braiv Soljer: I doant know who you air, or whair you may
bee; I only know that you air serving your country, and
that is enuf to entitle to the gratitude and afl'ection of
every man and woman who has the breath of patriotism in
their bodies.

"I am anxious to do something all the time, very little
though it may be, to help in some way the men{127} who air
fiting the awful battles for me, and for every man and woman
in the country.

"I send these socks now as my latest contribution. They aint
much, but I've put my best work on them, and I hoap they
will be useful and comfortable to some good, braiv man.

"How good you may be I doant know, but you air sertingly a
much better man than you would be if you was not fiting for
the Union. I hoap you air a regler, consistent Christian.
Ide prefer you to be a Methodist Episcopal, but any church
is much better than none.

"He be glad to heer that you have received these things all
rite.

"Sincerely your friend and well-wisher,

"Jerusha Ellen Briggs."

Although Shorty was little inclined to any form of reading, and disliked
handwriting about as much as he did work on the fortifications, he read
the letter over several times, until he had every word in it and every
feature of the labored, cramped penmanship thoroughly imprinted on his
mind. Then he held it off at arm's length for some time, and studied
it with growing admiration. It seemed to him the most wonderful epistle
that ever emanated from any human hand. A faint scent of roses came from
it to help the fascination.

"I'll jest bet my head agin a big red apple," he soliloquized, "the
woman that writ that's the purtiest girl in the State o' Wisconsin. I'll
bet there's nothin' in Injianny to hold a candle to her, purty as Si
thinks his Annabel is. And smart--my! Jest look at that letter. That
tells it. Every word spelled correckly,{128} and the grammar away up in
G. Annabel's a mighty nice girl, and purty, too, but I've noticed
she makes mistakes in spelling, and her grammar's the Wabash
kind--home-made."

He drew down his eyebrows, pursed his lips, and assumed a severely
critical look for a reperusal of the letter and judgment upon it
according to the highest literary standards.

"No, sir," he said, with an air of satisfaction, "not a blamed mistake
in it, from beginnin' to end. Every word spelled