El Dorado Springs, Mo.
June 19-1988
My dear Nan:--
I will try & answer your letter this gloomy, rainy day. I am afraid it will be a blue letter, as rainy weather always has a bad effect on my spirits, but we were needing it so much, for the dust was fearful.
I have been drinking of these health giving for over two weeks & have hardly seen a well day since I have been here & am falling off every day, every one says, you are looking so badly & getting so thin, so I shall be a shadow pretty soon. Well I guess you want to know what I came here for. I came to start a school of short-hand and type-writing and if I haven't had a glorious time of it nobody ever did, I was so sorry I came here. I will come out in debt, if I don't get more pupils. I am giving a young lawyer lessons, of course I enjoy that oh so much! I will try & tell you something about this miraculous place. The principal spring was discovered in 1882 by a gentleman who was taking his wife to Hot Springs, they camped overnight & his wife begged them to remain a few days, they did so to please her & at the end of that time she said, she felt better and persuaded them to stay a week & then they saw she was improving & concluded to remain, she recovered & that gave the place a start; it now has 3500 inhabitants but is 12 miles from any R.R. & we have to ride in a hack, there are about 12 springs & there has been some miraculous cures, they are in Cedar Co. 140 miles South of Independence, & right in low timber entirely surrounded by hills & the soil is nothing but sand and I think it the hottest place I was ever in & the hardest on clothes. It is no use to put on any thing decent, the sand just cuts it right out. The accommodations are very poor & board outrageously high. I board at the Southern Hotel, but don't like it one bit. I have made some very pleasant acquaintances here & some not so pleasant. I do wish you were here, we would have such a good time.
Oh Nan! I felt like crying when I received your letter & found that you had at last consented to visit me & then I couldn't be at home. I just know I do have more disappointments than any one living & such hard ones to bear. I would just give anything to see you. & Nan can't come on down here? I will have to stay for 3 months any way to finish out my class & I do want to__ you so much. I want you
To be sure & go see Sister, she lives on No. 92 West Maple Avenue. Mrs. J. T. Noland, don't forget now for there are 40 Nolands in Independence. Be sure & come on down here, you & Miss Lida & sister will come with you. Come so as to be here the 20 of next month, that is the grand celebration & they are expecting a glorious time. Our church as a festival Thurs. night & I am to wait table. Don't you envy me? I guess you knew that Lute was in Kans. visiting her sister, went to see me on her way out and as usual I wasn't at home & didn't get to see her, was so provoked.
I was surprised to hear of Miss Laura's marriage & sorry to hear you didn't fancy the gentleman. Don't you know I have met one of the University boys that was there the same time we were & the fool had in the imprudence to tell me, that all the girls & boys were married except he & I. I told him he was very much mistaken; he was too saft [sic] for any use. I couldn't endure him & made him mad, he wanted to be too attentive to suit me.
I made me some new duds before I came here but they are nearly ruined already & it just breaks my heart too to think of it, for I have only worn them a very few times.
I am not going to tell you who told me about you going to get married. It was a little bird. Nan, write to me real soon for I do get so lonesome & now darling, be certain and go to see sister for she will be so glad to see you for she has heard me talk of you so much that she already loves you & be sure & come down here & I will talk you to death & love you too. Give my love to Miss Lida & tell her not to fail to visit the celebrated springs. Lots of love to you. Direct to El Dorado Springs, Mo. c/o Southern Hotel. Yours Mattie.