Letter 18890401

Leon, Iowa, April 1st, 1889
Mr. E. E. Delk
Dear Uncle,
I received your letter about one week since. We were glad to hear from you.
We are having a protracted meeting at the school house now. We have an evangelist from Des Moines conducting it. It has been going on for almost a week. I have not been there but twice.
Kate, Ida, and Meda were at meeting yesterday, and they with about a dozen others came home with us for dinner. Kate, Ida, & Meda went home after dinner, and Kate and Charley T. came over in evening and took me to church. There was four of us went to church and back in a one seated buggy and we had plenty of room.
I never saw Fairview school house as crowded as it was last night. We came home after meeting was over.
Well Uncle Elmer this is three letters I have written today, one to Mr. Ortiz Meredith of Des Moines, and the other to Mr. Bond of Colorado. The same Bond that went with you and took a couple of girls to a party one night and let some other fellows have the pleasure of walking home with them. I wonder if Charley has forgotten about that.
Virgil is writing a letter to Nellie Delk. He and Jim Delk were up to Osceola to visit Uncle Sol’s a few weeks ago. They had a splendid time.
Pa is intending to start in a few days to Chicago with stock. He sold five loads of hog’s the other day and delivered them today.
Our old blind horse got away from Virgil to-day. As he was coming home from Van Wert the end gate fell out & Virgil got out to get it and the horses started to run while he was out of the wagon. There was no harm done except about three rods of fence broke down and the wagon tongue broke.
Oh! Yes, Uncle Elmer, have you heard away out there that we got a Republican President; are you still a Republican or have you changed your politics since you went to the far western country.
Well as to those pictures. Virgil and I had some taken together last fall; we are intending to have a family group taken this fall; so in your next letter you can tell me which you would rather have, mine and Virgil’s or the group.
Well, Mary Overholtzer is still living the life of an old maid. I guess she is waiting for you to come back.
You wanted to know if Frank and I would not be married soon; I think not. There is not near as good a prospect for it now as there was two years ago.
I have had to keep real quiet the last few days for the preacher has been here and it is the hardest thing in the world for me to try to do. I am getting wilder and wilder every day.
John Ryan and Eva are living on grandpa’s old place; ma was down to see them not long ago.
Aunt Sil is almost sick with the asthma.
Well, I guess I will close as I want to be in bed before Ma and Pa come home.

Trusting I will receive
A “speedy reply” I am,
With respect,
Dolly M. Arney
P.S. Anna Whitacre is going to teach our spring term of school. It begins one week from today.
April fool day and I have not got fooled yet, so I guess I am no fool after all.