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even the dog knows something unusual is going to take place and
wags his tail and fawns upon us as if to say "I am glad too".
Every one loves our gentle Sister and all our friends and acquaintan
ces are glad to know she is coming home.
Did you write any valentines on the 14 of Febuary or receive any? the
young men have great times here on that day I think there were
no less than one hundred and fifty put in the office on that day
and very funny ones the girls sometime receive. I received three
and wrote about as many. On the fourteenth here the birds
choose their mates, and such singing and chirping I never heard
before. they are perfectly happy, no cloud obscures the brightness
of their sky on that day. I am very glad dear cousin to hear you
say you are coming South to live, I think it is a very good reso-
lution and I wish you could persuade Dear Charlie and
the Major to come with you, tell him there are plenty of
young girls here and some very pretty ones too. I will get
you all the specimens I can, we have not got many yet, though
I do not doubt but that we can get the kind you want. I will
now proceed forthwith to answer your questions and as correctly
as I can, considering I am just the person that I am and
do not know much about snakes and the like and have a
greater respect for them when they are a good distance off.
In the first place I hardly every see a snake but there are
enough I know. There are two or three kinds of rattlesnakes
Mocisins, Coachawhips, Kingsnakesnakes, Chickensnakes and little
greensnakes on the trees and bushes in the woods. I believe King
snakes are I believe very harmless except in destroying other
kinds of snakes. There is a gentleman [illegible] here has a