G. S. L. City March 27th /55.
My Own Friend,
I received your kind letter of Feb. 24 for which I thank you very “muchly”. I have endeaverd to dicipher your worse than spanish and have made out a little of it, please send me the interpretation of such in future, you seem to feel rather displeased at my apology for not writing more and for my “want of thought.” I will try to explain a little in the first place we allways wait to see if the mail won’t arrive before we write, so that we can answer your letters thinking it will be satisfactory to you to know that we have heard from you, (at least this is the case with me) and in the next place you know that if we want a pound of tea, coffee, butter, suggar, meat, or in fact anything except flour we have to earn it with our fingers, and when I am so fortunate as to have work I must do it. This and the care of a family takes up the time. Now I don’t want you to think that I write this because I think or feel bad about it, on the contrary I am glad that I have a trade and the Lord blesses me with health to work at it, and I have had work enough about all the time to bring in something or another so that we have not suffered nor been obliged to run you in debt as yet, and I trust we shall not have to, at least for something to eat, nor I don’t think we shall for anything. But enough on this. Now as to my not “giving it a thought” when I write you know very well that I could not write without thinking my thoughts are all your own. I think of you all the time. The other night, I thought, you were come home and I went into another room to see you. You sat writing at a table. When you raised your head and saw me your face lighted up with joy and your eyes looked happiness enexpressible. You got up and clasped me to your bosom. I said, it seems so long since I saw you. You said it is, but now we will be happy. But some folks came and inturrupted us and I woke and found it a dream. I can repeat your own words “as to me I am just as I allways was, only a good deal more so”. I have been trying to make out a little more of your “worse than spanish”. It makes me [page break] feel all over . Yes, I should be very happy to have you stay . As to borring love of my neighbors I haven’t any that seem to have any to spare, in fact they don’t seem to have any for themselves neither have I any wish to. I feel like the Hindoo woman who when a man wanted her to love him told him that her husband was always before her eyes so that she could not see any one else. I am glad you are comfortably fixed in a house and that are better off than you were and that your health is good. We are all well except Moroni. He has a bowell complaint.
Your parcel came to hand since I commenced writing the chilldren are very much pleased with their presents. Aga feels dissapointed because her cape is not made, and Lona says, will Aunt E. send me one when she sends Julias. They say I must thank papa and Aunt E for sending them such “pretty things”. They grow very fine children. I am very buisy with work for conferance. The weather is delightfull. We have got the most of our garden in (i.e.) the early things. We were invited to a concert yesterday in the afternoon. We enjoyed it much after it was over me and K. went over to sister S. Woolleys. She was well sends her love to you and E says she would send you a piece of sweet cake if she could. I am sorry to inform you of the meloncholly news I received from my sister they went to Iron County in feb. Johns health was very bad when he went away and he graduly grew worse till he died. He was very happy and felt it was right wether he lived or died said he knew this was the work of God. During his last moment, he was in a vision and did not want to be disturbed he could not speak plain but told them he saw angels and tried to tell them their names but could not he said he saw Abraham Isack Jacob and all those great men. When the vision closed his spirit left his body without a struggle or a groan and was wafted to those happy regions where pain is not known. My poor Mary is left a widow and childless before she is twenty years of age. How differently the lot of two sisters is cast in this world. How I wish it was in our power to [page break] bless and comfort her but John has put it out of our power in a great measure to do so. He told her he did not wish her to go out of their family but wished her to stay and let his bro. take her and do the work the had commenced. Mary told him she would do as he wished. She will stay with his father and mother at present they think a great deal of her and have no child at home with them. I suppose it is all for the best but it seems hard for her to stay away from me. My father sends me word from Eng. was well. Things are in a very bad state there. I do not think you will complain of the “want of thought” nor the brevity of this letter, and if variety is spice then this must be very spicy but I flatter my self you will take time to read at least once over. As for the “Beseto” you speak of as “worthless trash” not worth bothering with, you’d better not be so fast for I shall hold you to your promise and I shall expect you to pay me to the “uttermost farthing” yes and with interest too, so you must “prepare to pucker.” I hope soon to see the first number of the “Mormon Herald” soon, and I wish you could start a gentleman they call P. P. Pratt with your company in the spring. We should very much like to see him but I’m afraid you “can’t shine.” I must leave off writing for I have to write to father and Mary both this mail.
Tell E that the children are well and send their love to her and papa and want to see them very much. E, when I spoke about my trunk I did not want you to send it home but only wished you not to part with it but bring it home when you come.
I am as ever and forever
Your Own Agatha.
Write often and plenty of it
[Transcribed by Walt Morrell and Suzanne Taysom, Feb. 2014]
Agatha [Pratt] to My Own Friend [Parley P. Pratt], transcribed letter, 27 March 1855; MS 278, folder 1, document 16, p. 1-3, online images, Ann Agatha W. Pratt Reminiscences and Letters, 1847-1907 (https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE2090355&usedforsort=MS_278_f0001 : January 2014); Church History Library, Salt Lake City.