Susan and Edwin have met Friday and Saturday in Danvers. They also travelled to Ipswich, Susan's birth town.
Danversport November 4th Sabbath
My dear Edwin.
Another day has gone with those that were & may I not spend one of its closing hours in writing to you? A part of the family have gone to meeting, but I am with those who remained at home. I have thought of you many times today & perhaps while I am writing to you, "all alone" you may be employed in a like way. If the distance was not so great we might lay aside pen & paper and spend the evening a little more socially.
It seems longer ago than yesterday that I saw you. Is not it? I hope you had a successful day in Boston and returned home safely. I followed you in mind in your preparation of your home for the Sabbath, & wished I could have seen where I could have assisted you. Would you not have liked some help?
On going into the school-room after leaving you I saw another applicant for a situation in the High School Miss Graham is a friend of Miss Breed's. I liked her very well & I think she would be very glad to come there. I did not feel so unpleasantly as when I saw the other lady there, for I have but little choice in the matter & shall we not enjoy as much out of the school-room?
I forgot to thank you for the plants; they are doing well & I will try & keep them till you will help me take care of them. Charlie helped me arrange the slips and I hope some of them will grow. I attended church at the plains this afternoon & heard Mr. Carruthers. His father, who is a minister in Portland made very interesting remarks at the communion service.
I like him as a preacher better than his son. I saw Mary on my way home; she wanted me to go with her to tea & stop this evening, but the weather seemed so cold & unpleasant I thought I better not stay.
Tomorrow I am to commence my last fortnight of the term, providence permitting; & I know they will pass very quickly & I shall soon be looking back upon those days. Since knowing you, dear Edwin, I have sometimes felt that my thoughts were not as faithful to school duties as they used to be, & perhaps it is well that the term is no longer; but will you blame me if sometimes in the midst of the conjugations of "obliviscor" or "semimscor," I have just remembered you? If you think I have done wrong I will try & be more faithful in the remaining days.
Did you succeed in finding the Geometry? Mary said she did not receive it last night but thought she should tomorrow.
I enclose some lines that were once sent to me & were underlined by the one who sent them; I think letters are blessed things when received from those we love.
Shall I be rewarded if I go to the office on my way from school on Tuesday? I am well aware that I have not written much to interest you, but I have felt very stupid tonight & perhaps you will excuse me this time. Please not follow my example in the length of your letter, will you? Hoping to hear from you very soon & with much love, I will bid you good night & remain, dear Edwin,
Very aff. & truly yours,
Susan.
This is election week and Edwin and the Fletcher family are all busy politicking.
Acton Monday Eve. 10 1/2 o'clock Nov. 5th 1866
My dear Susie.
I have just returned from the Sewing Society which was at our pastor's this evening and having finished eating my apples all alone will write a few lines to one I wish could be here to share them with me. I have some more left and shall try and save them for you, but have remembered and eaten one for you tonight. Would it not be more pleasant to do it yourself? I know I should have enjoyed it more.
We had a very pleasant time this evening. The party numbered about seventy five. We also had a parish meeting the early part of the evening and have chosen a committee to raise funds and purchase an organ and there is no doubt we shall have one - the size to depend upon the amount of money raised. If you will mention our case to Mr. Peabody perhaps he would give us a lift.
This is a tongue in cheek reference to George Peabody. The Salem philanthropist visited Susan's school earlier in the year. He was said to be worth sixteen million dollars at the time of his death, in 1869 and was known as the father of modern philanthropy.
I need not tell you that I enjoyed reading your letter and of course you will not expect a very brilliant letter after being out so late but you know I enjoy keeping late hours sometimes.
I had a very pleasant day in Boston and having a little leisure time I visited William & Everett and took a look at the fine picture of the "Sealers crushed by the icebergs."
Edwin is referring to an 1866 oil painting by artist and explorer William Bradford. The picture depicts the destruction of a seal hunting boat on artic ice. Bradford was a noted member of the Hudson River School of romantic artists and principally portrayed far northern scenes after being a part of several artic expeditions. The painting Susan viewed presently hangs in the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
I thought of you and wished you could have been with me as I know you would have appreciated it better than I could. Yesterday I furnished a very handsome bouquet and the flower you gave me found a part of it. I took dinner all alone yesterday. I should have been very glad of assistance Saturday evening and thank you for your thoughts and wishes for me.
I have had one man to work for me today. My painter and other carpenter did not come as I expected but I shall expect them tomorrow unless the election keeps them at home. We are expecting lively times tomorrow. I have been out all day rallying and brother Smith has been over to Wayland and Sudbury - the other towns that constitute our district for representative.
I thought of you this cold morning on your way to school. It would have been rather cool driving over. Didn't we have nice weather for my visit? But I suppose it was not made on purpose for our accommodation but was quite a pleasure for us.
I am perfectly willing that some one of the applicants should succeed in taking your place in the school room and hope you will find "love in a cottage" more pleasant than teaching. I think you are very excusable for having wandering thoughts and if some of them are on your future "home" and companion, of course I shall not blame you.
The Geometry I left at the express office on Saturday. I presume they have received. I was obliged to buy a new one. And now as it is late I know you will excuse me from writing more at this time and I will bid you good night and hope that you will find time to write so that I shall not go many times to the office in vain. When shall I get another letter? Time will tell.
With much love I remain very affectionately and truly yours,
Edwin
Susan responds, mid-week.
Lynn. Nov. 7th, 1866. Wednesday P.M.
My dear Edwin.
Only a few more times shall I begin a letter to you dated where I have this one. Not many times more shall I sit where I am now sitting & think of you away in your home. And as these thoughts come over me, I will be reminded that with these quickly passing hours, life is going and we are living days that never will come back.
On coming out of school yesterday I went round for a letter, and I need not tell you I was glad to find the promised one. I enjoyed dinner the more. All the older members of the family have gone to the Lyceum lecture, but having quite as much headache as I care for, I instead have spent my evening on the sofa & shall, I am afraid, give you only an apology for a letter: just to tell you that you are not forgotten; & so that you need not go away from the post office empty handed.
Yesterday I made the promised visit at Miss Lewis' & spent the night at her house; & as we started together for school, I felt perfectly willing that she should go to Gravesend & not I; & a feeling of thankfulness came over me that my work for the day would be so much more pleasant.
You have had nice weather for your house & I trust the work is progressing to your mind.
The returns from the elections I trust are satisfactory to you for the most part. Gen. Butler spoke here, last evening. I did not hear him, I believe it was not a ladies' meeting.
If I should have a favorable opportunity I shall be glad to recommend your cause to Mr. Peabody.
I trust you will meet with good success in your undertaking.
I thank you for eating the apple for me & for your promise of keeping some till I can eat them with you. It will be more pleasant won't it?
Now, dear Edwin, will you excuse me if I do not write any more, but instead try to sleep? I will next time make up for so short a letter.
May I hope to find a letter if I go to the office Friday noon? If I do not, I cannot hear from you till Monday, and I do not like to wait so long.
Hoping you are well & to hear from you soon with much love I am & will be truly yrs.
Susan.
While Susan slips in a little humor, she continues to express strong feelings and hints of sadness at leaving her teaching profession. How Edwin managed to eat an apple given his problem with his teeth remains a mystery!
Acton Thurs. Eve Nov. 8th 1866
My dear Susie.
Knowing the satisfaction there is in receiving letters from friends we love it shall not be my fault if you go away from the office tomorrow disappointed. I received your letter this evening and was sorry you had such a reason for giving me so short a one, but it was very excusable. I trust you have found relief and I am hoping that when school duties are over you will find the change beneficial to you as well as more pleasant to us.
I have not made so much progress on the improvements of home that I expected. I expect the carpenters will be through tomorrow but my painter, who I have been expecting all the week has disappointed me. I received a letter this morning from him saying he could not come for three weeks and that I had better not depend upon him. I felt a little vexed as he gave me no good reason for not coming according to agreement. I don't know who I shall get but think I may get one from Lowell if not nearer. Your brother, I think you told me, had some such experience last spring.
The elections have passed off very satisfactory in the main. Our local election was more so than we anticipated. We elected our representative by a large majority and last evening he invited his friends to meet him at his home which invitation was accepted by a hundred or more from the different towns of the district. We had a very pleasant time and returned home very early this morning after eating an oyster supper.
I don't know but you may think father is getting dissipated if I tell you he was one of the numbers. He seemed to enjoy it as much as any of us. John was much disappointed in being away, but he seemed to be obliged to be absent. We expect him tomorrow night.
Our town agent is in a critical situation, the State constables have made him two more visits this week and they are determined to break him up and I think they will succeed. He doesn't get much sympathy from the temperance people whose rights he has trampled on so long.
What beautiful weather we are having and it reminds me of some other days passed very pleasantly. Have you thought of them? Of course you will not expect much of a letter from me at this time as I was out late last night and it is now time I was making up lost time and will bid my dear Susie good night, hoping to hear from her again soon with a better report in regard to her health and a good long letter as promised.
With much love I remain very affectionately and truly yours,
Edwin
Dealing with repairman in 1866 wasn't much different than current times!