[Written in pencil on top of Scan 1]

				[col?]

[End]

			Virginia Dale. C.T.
		               Sunday Sept. 10th 1865
	Dear Nell.
		     Yours of August 22nd was
received by me on Friday night. Yesterday
morning I came frome Stonewall to this place
and shall remain until tomorrow morning.
I am on a visit merely, intending to go back
last night. but you know how good I am at
carrying out my intentions. and when one place
is as much my home as another it requires
but little urging to induce me to forego them.
     Our weather here is changeable. During
the past week we have had quite a variety
running from hot as Tophet. to colder than
Greenland. Friday night it took a horrible
cold. and yesterday it was more like the
days of December and January than like
September. The wind blew. so as take the
hair off one's head. and cold enough to
freeze the scalp when it was off. It tried
snowing a little. but finally gave it up in
despair it being too cold to make it all easy

As for news. I have'n't had any since I
wrote you before. Everything is decidedly dull.
nothing to do. nothing to read. nothing and
nobody to write to. in fact it was nothing
from morning ‘till night but eat and drink
and nothing from night ‘till morning but
sleep. I tried hunting twice last week. (and
hunted first rate. but unlike a first rate
hunter killed nothing. Game is coming down
from the upper hills in abundance on acct
of the late cold stormy weather and this last
storm will cause them to increase in num
bers. Antelope and Black tailed Deer are very
often met with. We have not killed any at
Stonewall yet. but those here have killed
four antelope during the past week. Last
Wednesday while hunting we started up four
Black tails and got one shot. when they were
off some five hundred yards. of course killing
	the strenghth of the powder. They are
a beautiful animal and I thought them
the handsomest sight I had seen for
years. Golly! would'n't I liked a slice
out of them for supper. I expect to

come back then within a week or ten
days to remain and then I'll hunt ‘till
I “ca'n't rest” If I remain in these hills
until next Spring you can expect to see
me clad in buckskin when I come
home.
     I suppose you are feasting on Peaches.
Pic Nics. and pretty girls now. Well/
that's pretty good living and you poor
wretches ought to appreciate it but people
that never had anything good to eat scarcely
ever do. I like to see one of those old fash
ioned Pic ‘Nic dinners set out for us among
these hills. then you'd see eatables diminish
and disappear like chaff before the wind.
   I can lay in my tent. all day. and eat. more
at each of my three meals a day than would
be necessary to keep a decent hog fat in your
climate. It's worth a journey to the Rocky
Mountains to get up an appetite
     It's really surprising to see the many
accounts of tornados in varous parts of the
“States” this summer. Are they really so fash
ionable? and what are they? Are they really

a big wind. or are they some new fashion of
costume the ladies are introducing? For instance
something of the nature of a “Waterfall”
   Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher the comman
der of the famous Irish Brigade of the old 2nd Corps
and now Secretary of Montana passed through
here on Wednesday night on his way to his
new home. I got up at 2 Ocl'c'k to see him
at Stonewall. got one glimpse of him by moon
light and was satisfied. I did'n't like him.
He is a tall well formed man. and one who
if he possessed that degree of native modesty that
all of our truly great generals do would com
mand the respect of all who meet him. but. like
all Irishmen. he carries his head too high for
me. and I turned away disgusted.
     No Indians have been seen any where
along this route for a long time so far as I
can learn. Gen. Connors operations. in the Powder
river country has called away a good many I
presume. and if the weather continues cold all think
they will soon cease hostilities. I hope so.
     Tomorrow. the O S. Stage Co. commences run
ning a daily line of Coaches between Denver and
Salt Lake City. which will make things much
more lively. I am glad to hear that so many
 of the boys are getting home. and that Harry
   Reynolds is getting well I wrote to him some
time in July. directing to Washington. partly
on business and if he has received the letter I
would like to hear from him in reply.
     My regards to the friends and love
     to all the family. Write often
				     Ed