its hardly worth mentioning but I guess I shall have to tell you, I was at Mrs Bird and there was a Mrs Cook there, she was speaking of Mrs Harry Griffith, how she grieved and how miserably she was looking that she talked in the most doleful manner of her husband; and she said I tell you Mrs. Garrett she looks very different from you, O! I tell you it made my blood flow a "little bit quicker through my veins for a minit or two, I don't want to have you think and I know you wont that I am unusually cheerful, but I don't go round with a woe begone countenance all the time and I know you would be sorry to have me do so; but you will understand it, you know how Mrs Bird is always borrowing trouble and how annoying it is to every one, particularly to her own family, but that saying of hers rather touched my feelings and I intend to tell her of it some day when I have a good chance, as for Mrs. Harry Griffith, she makes herself ridiculous to all sensible people, and I don't think any one that is intimately acquainted with her has any confidence in her professions of such great sorrow.  I will give you an instance which is well know to all those who are intimately acquainted with her, she has gone to her husband three times since he has been in the army and left a very small child just weaned with strangers and the last time she went she staid I think three or four months, and never saw Harry after the third week she was there, but boarded in a "Secesh family at 15.00 dol per week; she has very aristocratic notions and that just suited her to be waited on by negro servants, she staid there so long and was so extravagant that Harry sent her money to pay her debts and bring her home and that hereafter he would address her at Des Moines; she staid there sometime after that and wrote to him but could get no answer, and letters kept coming to her here, and her friends thought she was lost or taken prisoner, but at length she concluded he was in earnest and came home, perhaps you will not relish this bit of gossip but it was in my mind and I thought I would write it.  My eyes are better but were not well enough to go to my school on Monday, and I did not feel that I could go into the country till I heard from you
