Hill Country Living
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It’s a Wagner Week and here we have a carefully penned letter from Corinne in Water Valley to sister Jessie, who is off on one of a string of vacations. Corinne playfully formatted her letter to imitate an issue of The Water Valley Progress, one of the town’s newspapers. A 13-year-old Dudley stuck a letter to Aunt Jessie in the envelope as well. Dudley would grow up and write columns for the newspaper. In this letter he makes a casual and fascinating reference to a drug that, at the time, carried with it an entirely different usage and reputation as it does today.
Water Valley Progress
Sept 6, 1904 Vol. I
Locals:
Dr. Frazer Hood is spending a few days with relatives and friends in Tupelo. Mrs. John Wagner is meditating a trip to The World’s Fair. Mr. Eugene Wagner is expected down from Memphis for the weekend. Mr. George Wagner will not return to the Cornell College. He has accepted a lucrative position with Wagner Co. Mrs. John Wagner and two attractive little boys will leave in a few days for her home in East Tennessee. Miss Jessie Wagner is making an extensive tour of the Eastern Cities and summer resorts of the Atlantic Coast. Mrs. John Wagner and handsome little son Mabry have just returned from the Fair. They report a very pleasant time. Mrs. Walter McLarty, Mrs. Will Wagner, the Misses Mary Lou and Cecil McLarty, Miss Ruth Hervey and Master Robt McLarty and Chas. Hervey departed this morning from St. Louis. Mr. Charlie Romberger and bright little son Master Edwin have been visiting relatives in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Romberger and Master Frank departed this morning to meet them in St. Louis, where they will take in the Fair.
LOST! A small dog. Black and white spotted. Mongrel fox-terrier, answering to the name of Peggy. Finder will please say nothing about it. No reward offered.
Mrs. J.J. Dupuy and Dr. and Mrs. Matthews have just returned from the pleasant trip to the Fair.
School opens Monday.
_____
I think this about exhausts the items of local interest. Things are moving along as usual here at home. The weather is comparatively cool – cool enough to make letters a possible and enjoyable thing. Dudley and I play every morning. He takes no joy in the prospect of next week.
Kalista is still here – there wasn’t a bit of use in my coming home when I did. I hope you are having a good time. Are the newly discovered relatives any better than the old ones?
Lovingly, Corinne
Dear Jess,
Corinne and I have just come back from playing tennis and as I thought I had nothing else to do I would write you a few lines and let you know how things were on Kingdom Come. Mama, John Henry and Mabry are going up to see their relatives at Tenn. Papa John is going to stay up here. We may go out camping next week. We are thinking about it. If we do I will write and tell you. How is everything up at Aunt Bell’s? Does she serve you your coke on a knife or on her thumb?
Well good-bye, write soon,
Your nephew,
Dudley