Aunt Jeannie to John, November 17, 1918

Postmarked: Germantown Station
Sunday, 11, 17, 18

Mr. John M. Wells
Box 925
Jacksonville, Tenn.

Dear John

We are having today the first rain for so many weeks that we had forgotten that it could rain. Such a beautiful long drawn out fall, the garden still with a brave show of flowers & the grass as fresh as spring. Aunt Betty & I walked over to St. Peter's this a.m., Uncle Will & Aunt May followed - by the way, had you heard that Uncle Will had left St. Michael's and taken his letters to St. Peter's? It was a great wrench for him to take the step but things have grown so distasteful to him that he felt he must leave his Father's old church. The only thing that has kept me there is the long walk that would be necessary to go elsewhere, but I do make the effort & go with Aunt B. occasionally. Today churches everywhere are having special services in celebration of "the Peace." Do you know you have never mentioned what your Sunday privileges might be? Tell something about them next time.

I can just fancy how you must delight in your new house - the Deaconess wrote such a nice letter giving an account of its charms. How I should love to drop in on you & see you in your glory.

Yes, you did give us all a great fright by making us wait - 13 days for the report - which was to come daily when you were ill. I suppose you can hardly realize how terrible the conditions were in other places. Here, whole families were laid low at one time, some cases where four deaths in one house would leave one or two little children who have become wards of the State. In Holy-Cross Cemetery, a steam shovel made trenches into which double rows of coffins were placed and many people do not know where there own are lying. Under such conditions you can hardly be surprised, that when day after day went by with no word of our boy, we began to fear that he & his good Mother Mitchell had met with some dire calamity. Strange to say, you father was the only one who was undisturbed. He said he felt no anxiety about you, but that he wanted some word of Frances. He had had forebodings for many days before there was any reason to dread anything. The only real cause for wonder was why no letters came & strange to say nothing, not one word, was sent to any one as far as we know from the time the telegram was sent announcing that the wedding had taken place. Such a strange time as this has been. It is impossible to realize that the home coming to which we have been looking forward is never to take place, the other journey to the other home - we will all understand each other so much better there and the wonderful beauties of Frances' character will develop there even more rapidly than they were doing here. And ok; I am so thankful that the dear girl had the comfort & strength of her husband's care during those terrible hours before the end came. I think a great deal of her during my many wakeful hours & I believe none mourn her more than you who were always her favorite in the family.

Well, dear boy, I must stop. Give the Deaconess the enclosed & tell her as long as she has not read a letter I wrote more than two months ago, I won't attempt to answer her last good letters today, but I have one in the ink-well for her!

Your affectionate Aunt Jeannie
 

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