to America, but his wife is not willing to come as she has considerable money & don't think it safe in the unsettled state of the country to bring it here; I believe that Till Edar loved "Mat" she don't seem like the same girl since he went away; I have not seen Ross for a long time.  I don't know whether he thinks of her yet or not.  Last Saturday we two military personages to dinner, Col Sawyer & Lieut Ruston from Sioux City.  We made them a real good dinner, O! I did wish so often that day while we were eating that you were here & another thing if you have to be in the army I should prefer to have you up there in a cavalry regiment, they fare so much better than the southern soldiers do, & I think that the cav service is not so hard as inft. there was a report in the paper the other day that the 6th Cav would be sent up north, you know that is the regiment that Ellison is in, the sickly season is coming on & you would be apt to be healthy up there.  I was in to see Mrs Bird Saturday she told me that Empson was sick again in the Hospital at Pilot Knob, poor woman she does feel so badly about him she wants you to try to get a discharge for him, I do think that he ought to come home, don't you?  I was thinking the other day that Empy might not be able to come home alone if he was discharged & they sometimes allow another soldier to go to take care of the sick one & perhaps you might get to come with him, was it foolish in me to think of such a thing?  O! I do want you to come home so bad that I am trying to devise ways for you to get home all the time, I don't know how should act if you were to come home, I was mistaken about Mrs Hull going to St Louis, she intended to go but was taken sick the morning before she was to start & could not go, but I expect if I should go to see you I would feel just as lonely as ever when I got home, but I feel less reconciled to your absence every day.
