you several times last winter of being down to Mrs. Bansmans, I could fill this sheet in giving you my opinion of the family, but I will simply say that I don't think that J. B. Bansman is not a traitor at heart as many people believe, I think I have shown you by this long winded apology for being a guest of the editor of the times, if such you should choose to call it, to show you that I do regard your opinion of those that I choose for my friends & that I desire to consult your wishes in all I do if I do sometimes ask your advice & then do as I please; O! dear it does take so long to tell a thing when you have to write it don't it, if I could only see you, couldn't I make my tongue fly for a whole week?  You know you used to laugh at me for asking you three or four questions at a time & then not give you a chance to answer them, well you would not care now if to have the privilege of me asking you fifty if you did not get to say one word, would you?  I am sure I would be willing to endure the punishment of bridling my tongue for a whole hour & just feast my eyes on your dear face.  Yesterday morning I told Mr. B to enquire for me when he went for his mail, & then I thought that I would not get the letter 'til noon, for I was almost confident that I would get one, you know when I speak of getting a letter I mean one from you as I don't care for others. It would not do for my friends to hear me say that, but I feel so much more anxiety about hearing from you, that letters from my dearest friends are very incipient & only secondary to yours; well you know that my impatient disposition would not let me wait from 9 A.M. til 12M so I told Mr. B that was afraid he might forget and leave it at his office & at any rate I could not wait 'til noon, he laughed & said that I wouldn't get one for a week, I watched the clock  & when I was sure that the mail was in, I went on a double quick
