Morris in New Orleans to Julie in Hartford:

“Your boy has nothing of consequence of news or gossip to report. This morning I was detained in Court some four hours getting a poor fellow clear of assault and battery. He was from the country and consigned to us (i.e. working for Morris’ business) and under provocation struck a man. Got him clear but saw great sights. It was in the Police Court, they had about sixty men and women, the rag tag and bob tail of all creation, the proceeds of last night’s haul to sentence, before our friend’s case came up.

…

You can think of me at the old desk, writing to delinquent customers and to lawyers. Nothing to interrupt this dreary existence, same old song of good and bad customers, and the confusion of tongues in our Babel store is the same as of old…Still I can get along in the daytime for we have plenty of business, but at night it is awful to think of going to my lonely room. Perhaps Dick (his partner) is the same way, for we smoke one cigar after another, till the small hours of the morning,and only fly to bed from sheer weariness.

I hope that our nest of young ones live happy, and that they enjoy themselves, and more than that I hope you are well. I am becoming strangely nervous of late, for in absence of letters I conjure up many uneasy fancies. Now good bye, and don’t forget, Morris.”

Morris was in New Orleans from November through May 1858-59, as was usual.  He would have had reason to be worried while writing that letter, when he had left Julie had just given birth to their fourth daughter, Lucy, and had been quite ill afterwards.  He had not received a letter from Julie in over three weeks, an unusually long break in the correspondence, and would have had no way of knowing that all was, in fact, well.