On Sunday morning the 5th day of August 1810, the nine oclock
bell having just rung, Isaac L Baker of Lexington Kentucky being
somewhat crossed in love and bedeviled by the girls determines to
sit down and before he goes to meeting to write a good sociable letter
to his friend Stephen F Austin of Upper Louisiana thinking thereby
he may greatly relieve his own disturbed spirit and not prove
detrimental to his good friend by answering his friendly epistle of June
10th—
My good friend Stephen, Thus will I still address you—Dark
indeed and mysterious to my understanding are those obscure hints
you threw out in your letter. You thus address me—" You no doubt
visit very often at Mrs P—'s and so forth. M. S. have (I am
convinced)" say you " long ere this yielded their influence over you[r]
he[a]rt to that bright and heavenly luminary and so forth."
What in the d—l you meant I could not devine and being anxious
to know I hopped on my horse (for I have one of my own now) and
rode out post haste six miles to the cave and asking the elder of the
divinites of that place what it meant when I was told it was an
intimation that I was anxious to pursue the same road to happiness
which you wished to follow when here or in other word you suspected
I had centered my hopes of happiness on the right side of a certain
row as you go from University to town but neither at the place
where you boarded nor at a lawyer's a silversmith's nor at Col
Trottrer's. This explication of the mystery struck me with astonishment
and almost made belive the fair translater had not a good and clear
comprehension.
What that I—Baker—your friend—wished to stand between you
and happiness—No, by the powers of dirt I could not believe you
ever entertained such an idea of me.—I hope sir you will not impute
to me any thing of this kind and even if the fair angels surmises
were true I fear that you small tho sturdy and I tall and upright
would bend before a powerful invader who is now under sail.— I
long have expected the assault—but it might perhaps be improper to
meddle with other people's affairs [so] far as to mention names so
I will wave the subject till I see you in person—which I trust will
not be more than eight weeks after you get this at farthest—
I received a letter from M A Heard about eight days since. He is
undetermined when he shall visit Lexington again but expects it
will be some time first. He lives in Russellville and appears well
pleased with the pla[ce] and people
Our University is in a perfect state of tranquility has about 70
students who generally apply themselves pretty well— The
professors are all in good health
Nothing comical going on at present in this country. Crops are
very good and the Inhabitants healthy—
Notwithstanding you give such a poor description of the society
in your part of the world I almost envy you your situation and feel
an anxiety to be again with my parents, family, and friends in the
Mississippi Backwoods for here there are so many things to puzzle
a fellow's Brain and restrain his actions that but little satisfaction is
seen; however I will stand it out this session then take a small
breezing of about six months and return to Lexington again to my
studies and continue about one year.
I was in Miss P. A. S. ____comp[any] last evening one or two
hour's. She was [very] anxious to see your letter and says if I do
not gratify her she will swear eternal indifference to me. S. that
sweet provoking girl and her neighbor think you might at least have
sent your respects to them. They are well and as beautiful and gay
as ever—
Misses T. and M. E. accept your good wishes for their prosperity
and desired me when next I wrote to let you know their friendship is
not diminished in the least by absence and further that you may
enjoy all the good things earth produces or heaven can bestow. If you
were within whisper I might tell you a great many grievous things
such as that S. from somethings which have been told her as coming
from me is no more as Sociable and friendly as She used to be and
something a cursed sight worse than all that—but my paper is
almost filled so I will wind up by informing you I am well and remain
your very sincere friend and well wisher
Isaac L. Baker
[Addressed:] Stephen Fuller Austin Esqr near St Geneveive
Upper Louisiana