Lawrence, Kansas
October 14, 1858
Mr. John Benjamin,
Punctuality is the life of business, so is the saying. Consequently this third letter is sent after
the second, hoping that they may all reach you, particularly my first letter
dated the 11 Oct. in which is enclosed the sum of twenty five dollars for the
purpose therein specified.
Suppose my first letter did not reach you at all, and
suppose I had not have written you the 2 & 3 letters. Why I should have had to have waited and
independent time, and should much anxiety waited in suspense, fearing you had
not received the contents of my first letter?
Not so much on the ___ of the amt. as the convenience of it to you &
yours. Therefore, one of the letters
will most likely come to your hand and you will accordingly let me know that my
first favor is in your happiness ___.
I sent you 3 papers today.
I will send you 4 others called the “___ of ___” which you must read and
take care of and mail back to me. I wish
for them again on all of the little matters which I have marked relating to
Willie & myself. Also cut out the
two notices if Mayor Scott’s death and enclose to me when convenient. I am in no hurry for them or the Herald at
present. In a day or two I will send you
2 other papers. You must take such as I
have at hand to send you, either old or new.
You and I must not be choosey in this far off region. If my eyes would only serve me, I should like
to write to my friends abroad for I have plenty of leisure, but I cannot
gratify my inclinations in this respect except at the expense of my
vision. Nevertheless, however, I return
to say something of past times and things and persons in our former place of
abode when I shall feel like it. (Send me back that repayment notice I sent you
in my letter if you have not lost it.)
You must write more distinct and with black ink. Tell Elizabeth she must get a little stick from
the wood pile and whittle it down to a point.
It would do much better than the pen she used. If she does not wish to have me strain my
poor eyes (as I know she does not) she too must write larger and blacker. So in this respect both she and you must amend,
or as Mrs. Reynolds our ___ said to me the other day speaking of our vesting,
that heathen R should be after him with a “big stick”. I shall tell you of the prospects of the church
in this place when I get ready.
Mayor Scott was on the 5 of May last, on the same day that a
great tree planting was had in Dedham, old Mr. Motley and his 7 grandchildren
to help with planting a tree. All the young
and old men turned out and had a grand time so it said in the paper. You will hear more from me in relation to my
friend Mr. ___; a friend in need is a friend indeed. He was my friend in every sense of the word.
I hold his memory in exalted estimation from my attachment to him and all of
the manifestations on his part of so much kindness and good fellowship towards
me. His friendship was worth having. He
was one of the most pleasant and agreeable gentlemen I knew. When John, my more than good boy and for whom
I shall forever grieve died, having been sick at the American Hotel in Kansas
City Missouri 10 days, I was put to it to get $121.45, which sum was the amt.
of all his expenses of sickness and burial, and this sum for so short a time. I was exceedingly anxious to liquidate it at
once, and for my life I had it not, neither could I get it and Mayor Scott, receiving
my necessities on all of it, offered me my sum for that occasion that I
wished. He held lots of money in his
hand and told me to take what I wanted and I accordingly took $125 and have
since paid him. He had a love for
everybody but he had his particular fancies for persons and things and he
bestowed them to please himself and I happened to please him. “Mr. Wait”, he says, “you are after my own
heart”. He always had something good in
his closet and I always had a large share.
I must close.
Respectfully yours,
Richard Wait
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