Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 3 (1876 - 1882)

Lt 57, 1878

Children

Dallas, Texas

November 27, 1878

Portions of this letter are published in 4MR 39-40.

Dear children:

Another year of my life is in the past. This past year has been one of conflicts, of anxiety, of much care and wearisome labor; yet I look back upon it as one of deep experience. I see many places where I have felt that the deep waters were going over my head, that circumstances would master me when light has shone amid the darkness and sweet comfort and peace have taken the place of sadness and discouragement. Yesterday was my birthday. We were in Plano. After two o’clock a.m., we rode to Dallas in what is here called a hack, but is a lumber wagon. We had two mules hitched before it, looking like two father rabbits, and we drove eighteen miles to Dallas. Stopped at Brother Miller’s and warmed, then came three miles farther to Sister Cole’s. So much for the anniversary of my fifty-first birthday. 3LtMs, Lt 57, 1878, par. 1

Today we ride fifteen miles to Grand Prairie to McDearmon’s. We received yesterday [the] photograph. I think it is as good as they can make it. If you see anything to criticize, do so. It appears to us as good a photograph [as we can get]. 3LtMs, Lt 57, 1878, par. 2

We are both well. Father seems like a boy—cheerful and full of his sport. My cold is gone, and I am feeling very well indeed, riding around in lumber wagons; walking considerable is the exercise we both need. I have to catch every moment to write I can get. I was up this morning at half-past four; am sitting beside a large open fireplace, writing by its light. Father takes a great amount of sleep. I think Texas is perhaps the best place for us to work off much of our writing. 3LtMs, Lt 57, 1878, par. 3

Last Monday, Nov. 25, Elder Kilgore and Father had a meeting in the Baptist church to arrange the preliminaries for a discussion between Kilgore and Caskie. This discussion commenced last night, Nov. 26. We have not learned the result of their first set-to. This man is a great puff, tall, lanky, lean as a shad. 3LtMs, Lt 57, 1878, par. 4

This morning the unhappy intelligence is brought to us that the little mules have left the pasture and are perhaps returning homeward. Nobody knows where they are at this moment. We are now bound unless we get another team, but we will try to do our best to get back to Dallas, from there to Grand Prairie. Here we are worrying and troubling about what is to be done about the mules and again in regard to our two selves. We are right here and must contrive to get out of here in some shape. A couple of mules were put before the wagon (the Texas hack) and we were taken into Dallas. We have been looking at teams and have decided we shall no longer hack about as we have done. We shall get us a decent ... [remainder missing.] 3LtMs, Lt 57, 1878, par. 5