Jan 13, 1862. No new letter from Winston, one old one two or three weeks old. Mother rec a letter from Father, the two boys & Mrs Maxey. I rec a letter from Loulie with a bundle by the new boat.

[Rebecca] Jan 13, 1862. This morng. I was overjoyed by receiving a letter from my dear husband dated at N.Y. Dec 18^th – Also letters from Willie & Davis and a bundle from Sister Caroline.

[Octavia Stephens to Winston Stephens]       

                                                                                                Monday night Jan 13, 1862

My own dear Husband

                You do not know how much disappointed I was this morning in not receiving a new letter from you, but I consoled myself by thinking that it had gone up the river, (Mr Smith being sleepy perhaps overlooked it) and that I would get it on Wednesday, and by reading that missing letter which came this morning, when I received it, I tore it open & began reading not looking at the date, & read a part over two or three times thinking it so strange that you should write about those things now, then thought you had coppied the old letter, & I looked for the new addition but finding none came to the conclusion that it was the old one itself & the date assured me. If my letter does not come on Wednesday, I will think it in Pilatka or that you gave it to someone & they forgot to mail it.

                Mother received a letter from Father to day, he was in New York then 25 days ago, and was going to Washington to see how matters stood, & see if he could come if we all thought best.  Mother asked me if she had better tell him to come here, I told her yes for the present anyhow, that I thought he might find some business soon.  I think the boys have written urging him to come and as we or I have Mother here.  she will want him with her for a time at least.  do not think my dear that I intend having them all on your hands always, for I hope that all will be different before the year is out, that we will all be settled down cosily.  Father's business in Cuba has failed or broken up, he says his health is good, but his cough still hangs on.  Mother has seemed so much happier today.  I dont know when I have seen her laugh so heartily & often and easily as she has to day, she says she has been feeling very gloomy & sad about him for the last week or so.  when we saw this new moon we were to gether, and I said now let us wish, and to night she said that she wished that before the moon fulled she might hear from him soon, but did not think of it until she mentioned her wish to night, & sure enough the moon will full tomorrow or next night.

                You will probably think it queer that I am writing to night but I wanted to write most of my letter to night as Rosa may be sick tomorrow.  Our baby has had three fevers & has a bad cough, real [bad], every other day chill & fever, on Friday she was not out of my lap an hour from breakfast until night, most of the day on a pillow with a scorching fever, and seemed to feel so sick.  I ate my dinner in the room with her in my lap.  we gave her oil, and quinine Saturday night & morning early, but she talked & noticed a great deal all the time, when the one before she would not open her eyes wide or notice any thing or any body, just laid there and let me bathe her head and hands.  she looks badly and is quite weak, but the days between is as lively as ever.  she has been so funny to day, oh I so hope she will not be sick to morrow.  I will give her quinine again to night, there is no appearance of any more teeth.  I think she took her cold at night, for I am awake a great part of the night trying to keep her legs covered but I can not do it.  I tuck in the bedclothes to her crib & that wont do, I take her in bed & put my arm across her & that wont do.  she coughs a great deal just before day.  I am giving her honey for it after first boiling it a little to get some of the fermentation out.

                Well "Hun" I hate to leave you but Mother says I must go to bed aint you glad you have'nt got to dose Rosa through this night?  Good night, pleasant dreams & slumbers light.  Do you ever dream of me? ‑ Yes I do of you.

                Tuesday morn.  Well my dear it is now eleven o'clock, I have put off writing until this late to see whether Rosa had her fever or not, she has just gone to sleep apparently quite bright and well & as it is now three hours or more past her chill time I think she is going clear.  I wrote half a letter, a half a sheet full to Mary this morning inquiring about Ma, for we have not heard one word from them, and I thought perhaps they would think [it] strange if none of us wrote to inquire about them. I also wrote a few lines to Loulie, I expect her up next week to see us. I am going to try and meet her at the boat with the buggy, if I can make the buggy go, for one of the shafts are broken, I think it must have cracked before, for the iron was broken under some time ago, and the little stump we run over was not more than an inch & a half or two inches high.

                I think the “Hattie Brock” came this week from the sound of the whistle, but she came before day. I hope she will not run at that hour. I am going to try and find out to day & if she does I will have to stay over night at Tina’s, and drive from there. I hope though that she intends having better hours.

                I found that note of Grants the other night, suddenly it came into my head where to look. I send another I do not know that it has not been collected. I heard the other day that Grant was in jail for deserting, is it so? & that he was to have been  killed but his daughter begged for him. that Sylvester was also in jail.

                Have you seen Chauncy Hatch? and do you ever hear anything of Campbell Burritt, he is [in] Fernandina with a company.

                I have the potatoes bedded, there are five large beds, three of yams, they were beginning to sprout in the bank, the negroes have begun on one bank of Hayties & we will soon. The work gets on nicely, Burrel is now rolling logs, half the field or more is bulging with heaps.  Taylor is able to walk about some but very stiffly.  the black gilt had the staggers yesterday, and about to die, & Henry cut off piece of her tail, & I hear she is quite well this morning.  Well my dear I believe that is all I have to communicate.  Mother sends lots of love and hopes next week we will know when you are coming.  Rosa was out in the piazza & I called her to give me a kiss for you & she said "my papa" & I wish you could have seen her how funny she trotted in & kissed me, and went right back, she looks better to day.

                All are well now.  I am looking forward to 1st February with hopes of seeing you.  Good bye.  With lots of love from

                                                                                                Your own

                                                                                                Wife

Please bring some envelopes when you come, you know you used some of mine. I have not used them all so fast.