Well! Miss Ellen
happened to snatch a few minutes in her busy day to write a letter to
her beau,
Hoss Cartwright. I secretly took it from
her for a little while so we could sneak a peek at it, and then return
it
before she notices that it's missing and wants to send it off to him. Here it is:
My Dearest Hoss,
I have been meaning to write this letter to you for some
time now, and I decided today to sit and put pen to paper.
First of all, I want to thank you for the
lovely gift you
gave me last time we met.I never
expected it, and it is truly a treasure. I will
keep it close to my heart, because it is from you.
But that is not all I want to thank you
for.You see, within this past year, you
have been visiting me, escorting me to the Saturday night dances in
Quite often I find myself looking forward to spending
time with you and anxiously waiting the next time we will be together.
I have spent my life dreaming of meeting a
man like you. Hoss, you are a wonderful
man! I marvel at your strength.I’ve watched you smithing
horseshoes, splitting wood, and fixing
fences with
apparent skill and ease.
When we’ve dined together at the Ponderosa,
I’ve enjoyed
Hop Sing’s cooking even more because you
appreciate
him so much, and you show it. It’s true!
He is a terrific cook, and you have such a big
heart.
During the times I’ve spent with you while you’ve cared
for God’s wild creatures, you never cease to amaze me.You have so many
gifts, and your special
awareness of their needs is one of them.Why, just being able to assist
you recently to help June Bug foal her new
colt was such an honor for me! You have taught me so much.
Your respect and devotion to Pa, Adam, and
Little Joe is
not to be compared! Your family has such
a deeply rooted bond that is so obvious. Anyone
seeing you with your family would quickly take notice of that, and most likely desire it for themselves,
too.
When you’re dressed so handsomely in your suit
and string
tie, I feel as if I could just fall into your arms, breathless.What I’m
trying to say, Hoss, is that I love
you and pray that we could someday say “I do” to each other, before God
and our
church congregation. This would make me
the happiest lady in the whole world, and I hope you might feel the
same, Hoss
My Love.
Your Lady Forever,
Miss Ellen