Louisa Wylie Boisen to Hermann B. Boisen, 22 July 1880

Louisa W. Boisen, Bloomington, Indiana to Hermann B. Boisen [Kansas; no envelope]

Bloomington, Indiana
Thursday, July 22, 1880

My dear Hermann,
Your dear letter came yesterday and I need not tell you I was glad to get it. Anton was very proud of his and if I have time tomorrow, he will answer it. I do not believe I can write much tonight. Baby is awake, lying in her cradle, talking to herself, and as it is nearly 10 o’clock I don’t think she’ll be good long. I intended to spend the evening in writing to you, but have been interrupted. First Mrs. Dr. Bryan came in to see if I intended selling my bed room set. Then Mrs. Seward was in a few minutes and after they left Aunt Lizzie stopped in on her way from church. And now baby cries, so good night.

Friday afternoon
Have been so busy this morning putting up blackberries that I could not finish my letter, but as the mail is not made up till 8 o’clock tonight I may get time to finish if not interrupted too much. We have two mails each way now every day. I am not putting up much fruit. That is, only a few jars of each kind. Ma is putting up for Mag.

Saturday afternoon
I was interrupted again and have not been able to write till now. I fear I am going to write a very disagreeable letter again. I hoped that I would not have to mention money matters again but Dr. Axtell just now sent a note around asking for the rent or part of it and I had not the money to give him. He says on Aug 1 $30.00 will be due. That is next Saturday I believe. If you could send me that amount at any rate, I would be glad or have you drawn all your salary due Aug. 1? You never told me anything about the next payment. You surely did not take it all with you. And then too a letter came from Steiger saying he would draw on you July 26 for $6.74, so as you had written me that you had left me $50 in bank, and I had only drawn $37.75, I went down to get the rest, thinking I would send him the money as I did not like the idea of his collecting it at the bank. But when I went down Mr. Woodburn said I had already drawn all there was and he said that a bill had been sent in to them to collect for the bath tub. I thought you told me that was paid. I was going to ask you if you had a receipt for it, but forgot. I am afraid dear Hermann that sometimes you keep these little money matters from me because you think I will worry about it or will bother you by talking about them too much, but I believe we make a great mistake in not looking matters square in the face. If ever we do get out of debt, I hope we shall never allow little debts to accumulate any more or big ones either. I have been interrupted again and so I must add to my patchwork and I will try to make an end to this tedious money talk. You know I said when I agreed to leave B that I was unwilling to go until every cent of debt was paid and we had something over to begin on, and you consented that I should stay till that was done. And you cannot wonder that I am anxious that all these things should be settled. I hardly think we can do that before October and even if we should perhaps on account of the warm weather it will be better to wait till Oct. I do not think it will be good for the children to make the change until we can look with certainty for cool weather. But we can speak about this again. If I understood Father’s letter, he was in need of money and that I suppose must be sent as soon as possible and I am exceedingly anxious that you should be able to send Bock his money. That is a debt of honor that I want paid as soon as we can. At the same time, we cannot put Dr. Axtell off and I would like to pay Orchard at lest a part of what we owe him soon. He has not been paid any since February. Other bills are not quite so urgent. I was calculating our expenses here the other day and I believe that it costs us very little, if any, more than it would to board. I think our table expenses come between $2 and $2.50 a week. I have been at some extra expense in putting up fruit because I know we shall need it and it would cost us more in the end to buy it already canned and not be half as good.
And now, dear Hermann, I hope you will be perfectly frank with me and when you have the money to send tell me how you want it disposed of and I will try to do as you wish. If there is any salary due, let me have what you can spare of that. I hope you won’t have to borrow any of Christian. I have written a miserable letter. I am afraid it will vex you, but it is better that we should talk of these things. I have been so interrupted that I am afraid I have not written coherently, but if you read the letter at all perhaps you can make some sense out of it. It is now Sabbath night. I had not written very far yesterday till Mrs. Foster came in and so I had to stop. And I have made two or three attempts with poor success today, as Baby was determined not to sleep. Her teeth are disturbing her again and she has been rather fretful for two or three days. And like myself, she has a bad cold. Anton is well. Did you hear him call “Good night, Papa.” He is growing fast. It is now late and I will stop and finish tomorrow morning, as Baby is getting restless. And so my dearest Hermann with greatest love I say good night.

Monday morning
I am really ashamed to send this letter but I have no time to re-write and I have already been too slow in answering your good kind letter. The Telephone says you have sold 500 charts. I hope it will soon be 5000. I wrote you in my last that I had written to Germany. Will write again as soon as I can, but you see what interruptions I have.
About Newkirks, unless you insist upon it, I do not think we ought to let our things go so cheap. Every one seems to think it would be best to take them with us. Even if a chartered car costs us $100, yet we shall save more than $100 by taking them. Mr. McNary who moved from Kansas here says we save by taking them. Mr. Cole who has just moved back says we save. He chartered a car and brought everything. The Catholic priest came to see me the other day and he says we will save at least $100 by taking them. He is much distressed about your going away and bade me tell you as a good friend that you must not let yourself be too much annoyed by every wrong thing. You will find that there will be wrong doings and bad men every where. Before your letter came, I had written to Mrs. Newkirk that I would not accept their offer but if you still think we ought to do it, I can write again. But I am greatly opposed to doing it. We could not replace our carpets alone for less that $125 I think. I will write to the Gen. freight agent at Greencastle and find out the cost of a car. If you had a place in the Univ. in Lawrence and we were sure of a permanent home there, at least for a few years, I would not mind selling off so much. But as things are, I believe it is better to keep our things. I write in great haste and must close my letter now in order to get it off. I wish you would tell me how to direct your letters always. I’m afraid this won’t reach you soon. I will try to answer sooner next time. I know you’ll excuse me this time as it is not often I sin this way. And so in great haste with all my heart. Kisses from all of us
Ever and always thine
Louise
A letter has come to you from Prof. Anderson which I will forward as soon as I can.

Theophilus Adam Wylie Family Correspondence, 1806 - 1930, (bulk 1850 - 1930), Collection 2005.003.2849, Wylie House Museum, Indiana University, Bloomington.