Sesquiecentennial Stories: The Promise of UK #85

A Student’s Perspective from 1887

Picnic at High Bridge; James A., Tom Davenport, Jesse Mills, J. Tandy Ellis, Florance Dudley Dillard, Sallie Allen Hornbrook, and Jennie Hill Bissicks, 1887

A&M College, Lexington

February 26, 1887

Mr. Stanley Bridges,

Dear Cousin,

               I received your most welcome letter last night and was glad indeed to hear from you.  I dident [sic] receive but two letters last week and one was from my girl and the other from you.

               Stan you spoke of me having a little trouble.  Who told you about it.  I will tell you how it was.  We drill one hour every day and one day after the Drill was over I had started to the Dormitory and a little Dude was standing on the steps of College and just as I was passing by him he said to another fellow he is a regular Country Greener and I heard him and I went back and asked him if he knew who he was fooling with and he said he was fooling with a Damn Fool and I knocked him down with my Gun and he got up and ran like a turkey everybody was glad of it he hasn’t pestered me since I don’t intend for any of them to run over me.

               Stan you asked me how much Johnie Hil owed me it is $3.00 I wish you would spur him up on it.  Stan send me a pair of small scissors of some kind by mail next as I need a pair to cut things.

               Stan I think I shall have some pictures taken with my uniform on.  Ask Tomie what he thinks about it.

               How is Paw getting along with the Drummers does he hal [sic] many now I guess he makes Bill Smith stir around late and early.

               I heard that Leouie had gone to Houston to live.

               Stan you must go with my Girl some time and give her my best regards, tell Professor I will answer his letter soon and not to think hard of me for not writing sooner.  Tell Artie and Cretia I wish they would fix me up a nice box of eatables we doant [sic] get much to eat up here at Dormitory.  I must close for this time.

              

               Write soon to me

               Your cousin,

                              Jesse P. Mills

P.S. Tell Tomie to be sure to send me some money next week as I will be out.

Group of male students in 1886 or 1887; photo probably taken in the yard of Maxwell Place. Some of the names listed are: (fourth) Jesse Mills, (sixth) Keene R. Forston, (ninth) James Guthrie Herr, (thirteenth) J. Tandy Ellis, 1886