Hill Country Living
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
It’s a Wagner Week and after seeing a post on the “Yalobusha County MS Old Photos” Facebook page about Water Vallians establishing lives and towns in Texas over a century ago, I was reminded of a favorite letter between two teenage Water Valley boys. The one receiving the letter was John Henry Wagner in Water Valley and the one writing the letter was John Smith, who has just moved to Texas. I’m not sure exactly where he is in Texas but he says he’s 300 miles from El Paso and mailed the letter from Wichita Falls, Texas.
Wichita Falls, February 2nd 1886
Dear John,
I received your most welcome letter several days ago, but have not had time to answer before they find Dick Morrison and I have so much to do that I can hardly get time to write.
Edd Hoke says old W.V. has played out, no fun at all.
I went to see my girl Sunday, her name is Ettie Jordan. She is from Tenn and is pretty as a peach and has the sweetest lips, yum, yum. I tried my best to break her corset.
John I wish you could see her, she is about the size of Gussie Avent and built from the ground up and has one of the prettiest faces you ever saw. She is going to give me one of her pictures and I will send it to you if you will return it.
Four of us boys took some girls out hunting last Sunday in buggies and one of the boys named Will Keller killed two antelope. I would have killed one but I had a shotgun and small shot, he had a Winchester.
John, I will send you a picture as soon as I can get time to have one taken. You must send me one. And don’t forget to send me the cake you told me of. I am very fond of good things.
I wish you could come out here. There are no trees in town and you can see for miles in any direction. There are much finer buildings here than in Water Valley. We have a fifty thousand dollars courthouse and some very fine stores and dwellings. I wish you could eat some nice antelope steaks and prairie chickens. We have some every day. I shipped twenty deer today.
Did you hear of Bill Ruffin’s death? They ought to catch those train wreckers.
It’s raining today and you ought to see me with long legged boots on, the first I have worn since a kid.
John you can see anything here from a cow puncher up. I take my girl riding every Sunday.
I received a letter from Millie yesterday, she wants me to come back. El Paso is about three hundred miles from here. There are several RR men here from W.V. and nearly everybody is from Miss.
An old fellow moved here from Durant last week who has two dandy daughters. Miss Jennie Reese married a fellow worth about fifty thousand and rumor says Miss Sadie will marry a big Ranchman named McFarland.
Well, I will have to close. I have a dandy girl for you when you come.
Write soon & don’t forget the photo.
Your afct cousin,
John Smith
