Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1808-01-11
FROM THE CENsTINEIn
To JONATHAN HoLDFAST, IL C5nnecS-
iclR. December n, 1907.

icr. December n, 1907.
Brotbsr JONATHAN,
! HOW fare you ? what news with
you 2 write thele few lines, though
mayhap they may be many, for what
| know for my heart is full and
gueG fhan't itop, till I've emptied
II: 50 you mutt know our poor NeK
"a fine girl -ifn't fhe well, that'e
all one. 80, as | was faying, our
poor MsN--you know fhe was going
to be married to Jack Ancborfaf,
fine faier as ever itept. gu5f you
know him, for he's been in your
parts well as | was laying, what
dye think ? the poor fellows fuyn'S
ont Of empi9yment-not, mind ye, be-
caufe he did not conduit right for
he was a 'tarnatiu good boy and
earn't money fat aye and faved il
too but 'caute dye fee, I'll our mar
chants fhips are going to be lid up
till we can take Britifh failors enough
to man them, 'caufe th1y work cheap
and 70 we are going TO war to get
as many as we can and what our
own poor faiIors are to do, God only
knows. Poor Jack Jays he'd hgho
for his country and the honor of II
meyica as long as he'd a hand to hold
a match; but " tell Uncle fonatban,~
fays he, " that tho he fayS we B9f9,a
folks are full of notions, we have no.
notion of fighting to bring other fai-
lorS TO take our bread from our
mouths while we are as good 1ailora
as they arr"-lo poor Jack fays he
can't marry our Nell till he can get
fome employment; for like an hor--
eft tar as he IS he fwears he'll be
dam'd if he'd marry girl he loved
to bring her to diitrels-And 70 we
are all broken hearted about it, and
70 brother Jonathan write to yos
theie few lines to know what am to.
do for can't Tell my produce Jack
wanted to buy a fnack, and told
him I'd fell piece Of land to help
him, but when | try'd to fell, / could.
not get half as much az was offered
for it fix months ago--beGdes JACK
Gnce fays, never mind me daddy-for
he calls me daddy as if he was al
ready married to poor Nell-for I am
told filming WON'T do, for they FAY if
we 90 70 war, we ihar't be able TO
hih even on our own coafs-fo telk
me what we can do for poor Jack
Ii WON'T do for him to turn farmer.
for half we farmSre now mutt be ru-
ined il We go 70 war-now Jack has
. ulufical turn, and knows how to
handle flw, and can lay OUT work.
bur then If he turns carpenter, no.
bedy will build III cafe Of war and
carpenters will have no employment
1T will be lucky indeed If we are a.
bic to keep the houfes we have above
our heads-mayhaP the plan may be,
for we can only guefs which 1t is, to
drive all our fAilorS and mechanics
to Virginia, and the fouthward 20
help the laves railc cotton, rice and
tobacco. Now ID brother 5s7If51l,
if you can find out, let US know here.
what we are going to war about FIR
we are all in the dark here, for vou
know England has offered Tcparstion
for the Cbr[ibeake bufne(s, 70 that IL
can't b. for thar, and what the devil
il can be the devil only kaows-[
cant ;tll how your feddy Ea5izJ mag
rrLih this but, ! can ;ell you our B9E
tan notions are againf it.-Well, fare
| We well. | fhali expect to hear from
you by return of Pot, fer faPsofe
you have nor much to 90 now 70
merry Chriitnas 70 re, end 7 may
well pray for ! b4tpynew year fcr W
al fear It will be otherriie. - SO no
more from your friend aai brother.
JACOB STANDFA5T.
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