Page 17 Benjamin Lafayette Smith's letters, etc.
 
 
 Pa has sold 52 bales of his cotton. One half for 8 cts, and the other half for
 10.44 cts. And he has 18 more to sell yet. He bought 180 acres of land not long
 since for $25 an acre. He rented out about 250 this year. Fifty for $4 an acre
 and 200 for $3.25 an acre.
 Ma says that you must come to see uS. If you will that she will have something
 good for you when you come, if you ever do come. Sherman says that he will have
 a sweetheart for you. I suppose he told you who my sweethearts were. Well, if
  be told you Miss Mollie & Miss Eliza he told you exactly wright. They are
 two of the prettiest girls in Mississippi. Maybe you will get to see them when
 you come to see us if you stay long. 
 We call the baby Buster sometimes & Curtis sometimes. He can walk all about now
 Ma says that you may have him, if you will come after him; but you must come after
 him before be gets as old as Charlie is, for she has to whip him nearly every day,
 he is so bad. They have finished the railroad up to West Point, about 13 miles
 above Toland’s Depot [later known as Artesia], and have come back and are working 
  on the Columbus branch.
  The cars went after some cross-ties the other day, and as they were coming back,
 the engineer stopped of a sudden, just before he got to the places, and three
 of the cars broke loose and knocked them all to pieces. Oh, I liked to have for-
 gotten to tell you that I got a valentine the other day. It was from a young
 lady in Crawfordsville by the name of Miss Carrie Howorth. Cousin Martha can
 tell you how I like her. I do not know whether to answer it or not. It looks
 wright hard for a young lady to write and not get an answer to it. Does it not?
 I believe that I have told you all of the news that I can think of just now.
 From you affectionate cousin
 Benj. L. Smith
 ---------------------------------------------
 
 
 Dear Cousin (Martha Warren King)
 As I have a little room left in my letter, I will write to you a
 few lines. As you are so busy drying up lard, making soap and all such things
 as that, I reckon you do not know how long it has been since you wrote to me.
 It has been nearly a year. Cousin Mack said in her letter that you did not have
 time to write. Well, I do wonder if you have not had time enough to write to
  me since last April.
 I reckon you and Cousin Bob intend to come with cousin Mack. Do
 you not? If you do not, come anyhow.
 It has been a warm winter to what last winter was: but it has rained
 enough to make up for it. The Tombigbee has been out of its banks very near all
 of the winter. Ma has sown her cabbage seed.
 I believe we are all well at this time and hope that you are enjoying
 the same health. From your affectionate cousin,
 Lafayette
 
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 April the 4th 1858
 
 My dear Cousin (Mc Warren)
 Your letter was received by me a few days since, and I was very
  glad to receive to indeed. Sherman, Penn and I are going to school at the 16th
 section to a young man by the name of Thompson. He is one of the best scholars
 I have been to, I believe, and I think he will make us a very good teacher also.
 Pa has just finished planting corn, and has commenced planting cotton. He has
 planted nearly all of his potatoes too.
 Somebody tried to burn down our school-house, but I believe they
 have given up the idea now, as there has been no signs of it lately.
 You said that I must answer the valentine and write an April fool
 also. Well, I am sorry to acknowledge that I do not know how to write either.
 I have seen a great many of those old maids that you talked about in your letter.