ry day since I came--seen my station help in time of
need--and I must say he bears bravely the dispensations of a female
person. He is not dejected, and he still seems to find life worth
living; and if he weeps in secret, he shows no sign in public of
regrets; neither does he hide himself from the gaze of others, but is
always to be seen when one goes down-town or to the homes of other
people. I don't know how we happen to meet so often, but I never go
out that he doesn't appear; and though he does not come in at Rose
Hill, he comes to the gate, and I am afraid we stand at it a little
longer than is necessary, especially if Elizabeth Hamilton Carter is
sitting on the porch.

I wonder why Satan walks right into me every time I see that piece of
pretty pink-and-whiteness! He has never taken possession of me in that
way before; but something about her just starts him off, and before I
know it I am doing what I wouldn't think of doing if she were not
around. She is perfectly furious with me, and I must say her manners,
if they are Southern, could be improved. At best she is not much of a
talker, I have been told; but since I arrived her little mouth has been
shut so tight that I wonder how she breathes; and if she has spoken a
dozen words to me since the night I came, they were too
between-the-teethy for me to hear. I didn't want her beau, and I
wouldn't have dreamed of noticing him if I had known how she felt about
him; but after she tried the freezing act on me I didn't tell Satan to
get behind me, as I suppose I should have done. I just went along and
took things as they came, and the first thing I knew I was in love
myself, and from the words of his mouth concerning the meditations of
his heart he seemingly has recovered from a former attack and is in for
a new one. Maybe we were not as considerate of the rejecter as we
might have been. Of course, I never knew for a long time why the
engagement was broken. He didn't tell me and no one else seemed to
know, and when I found out-- But that was a long time after--when I
found out.

His name is Whythe Rives Eppes. The only things I don't like about him
are his front teeth and his relations. He could get three new teeth,
but nothing in human power could rid him of his relatives. There are
four of them--Mother, Sister, Sister Edwina, and Miss Lily Lou, and may
God have mercy on the girl who marries the male member of the family
and goes into their home to live!