Chapter   5    

Letter to My Darling
March 1, 1902

                             Jerome, Arizona
                             March 1, 1902

My Darling, My Pure Sweet Pet:                            

Really I ought not to write very much tonight, for I have had a beastly headache all day. It has quit now. But it is seven o'clock and my sermons for tomorrow are untouched. But as you "almost live on my letters", I must send you a few pages anyway. I feel better at this present time than I have felt for a month.

I have just returned from a birthday party and dinner to Frank Myers. He is thirty-one tomorrow. There were fourteen present, we had a delightful time.

Well dear, I am glad you enjoy my letters so much; I write them as well as I can for your own sweet sake. I'd rather write poor letters to strangers than to friends. I try to do all things to the best of my ability. I enjoy your letters very much indeed. I think we have both greatly improved, in every respect, in our letter writing.

By the way you had better write to me next Friday as your last letter, if present arrangements hold out. I will write my letters as usual, writing my last epistle next Saturday evening, one week from tonight.

The carpenter is through, but there is considerable work for us to do yet. But we hope to have the room papered next Wednesday; then I can clean up and arrange things somewhat. We have decided not to make an opening between the bedroom and addition, Now don't be disappointed, Love. Let me explain. The ladies, Mrs. Myers, Jackson, etc., think it would be unwise to do. You see Dear, the new room being the sitting room, if we had portiere between the rooms and you wished to change in the afternoon and visitors should be in the sitting room, it would be impossible to make the opening view-proof with portieres. Again, it will make our bedroom more private, and if there is a need for a private bedroom, it should be to a newly married couple for their first year! Both night and daytime. Suppose you want to tell me those words of endearment, where could you do it better? Suppose I feel like taking an hour off to kiss and fondle you, there will be no better place to do so than there. For I trust our life is not going to grow cold-blooded and matter of fact as soon as we are back here. No, I hope we shall always be bold and free to tell our love, and to activate the best manner of expressing it.

If we take time to do this in our early married life, Love will always rule, always conquer, and will make our old age glorious to ourselves, and blessed to our children, should we be blessed with them. Here is the place we should acknowledge our faults, and pour forth all our most endearing compliments.

Ben is here. He told me today that he expected to leave tomorrow. He also expects to stay until we are married. If he should say anything about Baby, I hope you will speak positively. But this is a forbidden subject - Pardon me!

I have the table and ice chest. I shall have to clean them up and varnish them. They are small but large enough for us. I should have said above that there will be a door out of the sitting room into the kitchen, and that we must make the kitchen serve as a dining room for us. I expect to put a small window in the west side of the bedroom as you spoke of, but we'll not do it until later when the hot weather comes. I, like you, desire lots of fresh air and light,

I have prevailed upon the Elder to come here on the 23rd instead of the 9th. It will cost him 4 dollars more car fare, which I have promised to pay.

I wrote Frank, as I told you, and the next day I received a letter from him saying he had written the Bishop for the 11th . I will feel badly when he reads my letter, but I told him to go ahead. He should have consulted you. I wrote to him very nicely, but fair. Personally, I don't believe in double weddings, and I am sorry we ever changed our date to wait for anyone. We have waited long enough.

The more I think about it, the more I think it will be best, if we cannot drive back to L.A. in a reasonable time, for us to arrange have a livery from Long beach meet us at Terminal Island Hotel at 9 o'clock, then drive to and stay in Long Beach one night. And, if it is the thing to do, pay the hotel bill of our friends at San Pedro. We will certainly not stay where Frank and S. stays if I can help it.

In my letter I gave Frank to understand that I would not care to be married on the eleventh, if I had no time to get ready by getting the things I wanted. I think they will try and arrange it for the 12th, but they may go ahead as I told them to, wishing them success, and, if it would not disappoint you, my Dear, I would rather they did go ahead.

It has been cold and windy here the past week, but it was very pleasant today. Yes, my own darling, you have said enough that I know you love me, but sometimes, even yet, I wish you were more sentimental and "less matter of fact". Perhaps I should not say "less matter of fact", but more sentimental. I am confident Dear, that many hearts feel a yearning in the marriage bond for a freer expression of love one for the other.

Give my love to Millie and kiss her for me, if you feel like it. Love is a poor empty thing to send in a letter unless ther is some manifest expression attached to it; either to look back to or forward to. I am getting into a sermonic mood so I had better quit.

Yes if I was there, I do not think I "could", "should" and you bet your life I "would" not wait. If you didn't come to, I'd pull out, I fear. But do you suppose I think you wouldn't! Well I should smile with open arms!

Well, goodbye. I must get at my sermons. I have been just an hour at this.

Yours to please and tease later, Jack



Editor's note:

         



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