Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-09-28
Affairs in the Country-Letter from John
Quill, Jr.

Mr.. Quilts oldest writes to him as follows
In THE COUNTRY, August 18th, 1S6e.-M1
Dear Father Me and William Henry are
having first rate time, and | write you these
few lines to say that we are well, and so is moth
er. She and aunt Samatha, they will spat you
know, and yesterday mother told aunt Saman-
tina that she had fshed for you when she was
girl and couldn't get you. Aunt Samantha,
she wouldn't marry such bald-headed bush
whacker as you are, if you were. worth mil
lion.
Then mother, she said she couldn't" and
Aunt Samantha said she could" and mother
went at her with the rolling pin, and for few
minutes the fur few, tell you
William Henry and thought that would be
good chance to 60 for the preserves in the
pantry, and so we did, but mother came In and
caught US and whipped us like the nation.
She's getting rather rough on us, [ think
Cant you come down and help us over the
stony places
Uncle John, he took US to the circus last
night, where there was boy about my size,
who threw summersets on a horse. Say, pop,
may quit going to school and join circus?
And William Henry he came home, and
went out and tried to skin the cat In the barn.
but he got over and couldn't get back, and he
fell down and scared one of the horses SO that
he kicked his leg through partition and broke
it, and scared hen off of thirteen eggs she
was sitting on. so that she wouldn't come back
beside knocking down scythe-blade that fell
on COW, and cut her so that she bled to death
Didn't Uncle John get up and howl over
that? Well, he did.
But William Henry said you would pay for
the damage, and he went fishing to get out
of the way, but he didn't ketch much except
ing few catties, and while I was looking over
the side of the boat William Henry kept
rocking it, and it upset, and we both got wet.
but man hauled US out, and we went home,
but mother she like to logged the hide off of
US. satu-. rtE-s s-
wish you would come down here as soon as
ever you can. Don't mind aunt Samantha, she
is nothing but an old tea pot, anyhow, and Will
liam Henry says he bets her teeth are false.
So we are enjoying ourselves very much, and
we spend our time hunting for birds, and so on
and last week [ got fair crack at one and I
SHE'D stone, and it slipped and hit six bottles
of new ketchup that were standing on a table
outside the kitchen door, and glanced over and
struck the servant girl on the jaw, which SWELL
ed up like she had half brick in her mouth.
You never seen such face, but I couldn't
help it, and mother spand me like mad.
Ii you can come down as soon as convenient
I will be very glad.
We are all very WE'LL except William Henry
and he has slight attack of dogbite. Mullo.
ney s. over on the next farm. have an orchard.
and William Henry he went for apples, but old
Mulley, you know. was watching him. behind
q tree, and he set yellow-nosed bull-terrier on
William Henry, and William Henry Just did
his all fired best to get over that fence, so he
broke for it, and just as he got one leg over the
bull-terrier clinched its teeth into his leg, and
hung on just like as if he had growed there
and had never been used to anything else-
William Henry had his pants torn, and mother
she made him 90 to bed without any supper
but he let string out of the window and I tied
basket full of gingerbread found in the Gel
lar, on to it, and then told mother that was
sleepy, too, and William Henry and I had
bully old time Oft of them gingerbread, you
just bet.
But mother comes it too severe on us, so
can't you come down
am your afectionate son,
sFTtt II & JOHN QUILL, JR.