Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Diary of Betty Herndon Maury - August 27, 1861

Tuesday 27th [August 1861]

Aunt Mary went down to Farley Vale with Nanny yesterday. There is no one in the house now but cousin John, Will and myself.

Robert cooks for us and aunt Eliza’s little black John helps me to clean up.

I have a right lonesome time in this dismal old house. Will is with cousin John all the time. Spends the day in his office, and sits with him in his room till twelve or one o’clock at night. And cousin John is the prosiest and the most tiresome old man in Fredericksburg. Every body concurs in that opinion. Will is in the office now reading him the papers.

I have my baby, and a novel and a paper of candy. What more could any reasonable woman want? The fact is I must learn to care less for him and more for other people. My ambition has been to be his chosen friend and companion and associate but I have failed most signally. The material is in me to make some body a good wife, but it has never been brought out. Maybe I have failed because I have made my ambition my idol.

Saw cousin Dabney Sunday night. Cousin Jack is here. He was thrown from his horse the other day while riding with his sweetheart and broke his collar bone.

Major Wrightman was killed in the last battle in Missouri.

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