Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-11-19
Mark Twain's Idea of Good Letter.

THE most useful and interesting letters
we get here from home are from children
seven or eight years old. This is petri-
fled truth. Happily they have got nothing
else to talk about but home, and neigh
bors and family-things their betters
think unworthy Of transmission thousands
of miles. They write simply and natu-
rally and without strain for effect. They
tell all they know, and then stop. They
seldom deal in distractions or homilies,
Consequently their epistles are brief; but,
treating as they do OF familiar scenes and
persons, always entertaining. Now, there
fore if you would learn the art of letter
writing, let a child teach you. ] have pre-
served letter from little girl eight years
of age-prescrved it as curiosity, be-
cause it was the only letter | ever got
from the States that had any information
in it. 1t ran thus;
"ST. Louis, 1865.
"Unclc Mark, if you was here could
tell you about Moses in the bulrushes
again. l know it better now. Mr.. Sow
berry has got his leg broke off horse.
He was riding it on Sunday. Margaret
that's the maid d-Margaret has taken all
the spttoons, and slop buckets and old
jugs out of your room because she says
she don't think you are coming back any
more, you have been gone too long. Sissy
McElroy's mother has got another little
baby. She has them all the time. 1t has
got little blue eyes, like Mr.. Swimley that
boards there, and looks Just like him. |
have got new doll, but Johnny Ander-
son pulled one of the legs out. Miss
Dusenberry was here yesterday; J. gave
her your picture, but she said she didn't
want it. My cat has got more kittens
oh you can't think1-twice as many as
Lottie Belden's. And there's one-such a
sweet little buff one with short tail-and
named it for you.
"All of them's got names now-General
Grant, and Halleck, and Moses, and
Margaret, and Deuteronomy, and Captain
Semmes, and Exodus, and Leviticus, and
! Horace Greeley-all named but one, and
am saving it because the one L named for
| you's been sick all the time since, and l
reckon it'll die. 1t appears to be mighty
rough on the short-tailed kitten for naming
1t for me. i wonder how the reserved
victim will stand it, Uncle Mark, do
believe Hattie Caldwell likes you, and
know she thinks you are pretty, because
heal her say nothing could hurt your
good looks--nothing at all-she said, even
| ii YOU were TO have the smallpox ever so
bad, you would be just as good looking as
you were before. And ma says she's ever
SO smart [Very.l So no more this time,
because General Grant and Moses are fight
ing ANNIE"
This child treads on my toes in every
other sentence, with perfect looseness, but
in the simplicity of her time of life she
doesn't know it. . r~E.rt
I consider that q model letter-an
eminently readable and entertaining letter,
and, IS l said before, it contains more mat.
ter of interest and real information than
any letter 1 ever received from the East
l had rather hear about cats at home and
their truly remarkable names, than listen
to lot of stuff about people am not ac'
quainted with, or read "The Evil Effects
of the Intoxicating Bowl" illustrated on
the back with the picture of ragged
scallawag pelting away right and left in
the midst of his family circle with a junk
| bottle.