[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading. A well-written letter, with interesting content, especially her defending her decision to marry a man she hardly knows.]Mechanicsburg Pa
July 11, 1881.Dear Sister:-
I am making a regular business of my letters and trying to get them all written up for once. Saturday I wrote five long ones and a postal, and have written two this morning. Horace is writing too, the girl is wwashing and mother is up stairs briggling at something. Horrie [her brother, Horace] was in New Jersey all last week and I think he is writing to Lulu now. He is pretty far gone.
The ladies spent Friday and Saturday at the church quilting Julia's autograph quilt [Julia was the wife of her brother Calvin, a China missionary]. It is quite pretty and I believe they expect to have 400 names on it when it is done.
Mother was up at Carlisle on Saturday and has been weak and miserable ever since. I taught her class yesterday and as we had no church in the morning she stayed at home. Mr. Ferguson preached for us in the evening and told me after church that he expects to start for Europe today. He is a nice little man. Mrs. Gilchrist is quite poorly and it is not at all likely that she can live long. It is so warm that she can hardly breathe. The rest of the friends are well so far as I know.
Now I am ready to give an account of myself. I scarcely know where to commence for I do not know how much has been told you. Mother wrote you of my trip to Columbus home and back to Martinsburg to Annie's wedding. She also told you what you knew before that I had broken my engagement. Well I came home this time on Wednesday last having the wedding party for company as far as Harrisburg. All went off beautifully and they are a proud and happy pair. They went on to N.Y. to visit his sister and are coming here next week or the week after. The wedding was at eleven o'clock A.M. in the church. We had dinner at two and the[y] left for Altoona at five P.M. I stayed in M. all night and met them in Altoona the next morning.
Now comes the tug of war. I have somewhat more to say unto thee about myself. Something strange and rather startling and yet it may not seem so strange to you after all. I am going to China this Fall, but alas for Rob! I am not going as his single sister to comfort and cheer him in his loneliness. Nor am I going to be near either him or Calvin. I have consented to marry Dr. Stubbert and go with him to the Canton mission. Now are you ready to say, "rash, fickle girl? She does not know what she wants or what she is doing and is just marrying him to have a husband and a missionary?" Be careful sister mine, and do not be too hasty in your judgment. God only knows how I have wanted to do what was right in the matter. How I have prayed over it and how I have tried my best not to let my feelings get the better of my judgment. I spent almost all of one night in prayer and earnest thought and I could not but think God meant that it should be so. I am sure that I love him so far as I know him. I cannot know him well in three weeks but I have heard all about him from those who have known him for years from the Board and his instructors and I can find no fault with him. He says he loved me before he saw me and since then it has grown constantly. He has known of my engagement with Mervin from the first of it and watched it all through. Has knwn [sic] all about me for a year and has been thinking of me as his wife ever since I stopped Mervin. The only thing that kept him from going to Steubenville was that he wanted to give me time to be sure that I have given Mervin up. You were about right when you said I was more ready to fall in love with another than I would acknowledge.
I said at first that we would wait till we get to China to be married but that would make it so embarrassing in many ways and so unpleasant that he overruled me and we are going to be married here at home. Mother will feel better satisfied. He can take me to see his friends and I can take him to see mine and we will both feel much better. The time we have set is Sept 8th and that will be the day D.S. and provided nothing new comes up to make it sooner or later. Rob. will have to come home sooner. You are thinking of coming east so Annie tells us. Of course you must be here then. Willie will probably come too. I will not attempt to tell you about my beloved. You can make his acquaintance for yourself. He came home with me from Annies and was here two days. Has gone on to N.Y. now and will probably not be back till a week before the wedding. Annie will hardly come here before the middle of August. She is not able to help me any and is better off where she is for I will be very busy of course. With a great deal of love to all and an earnest hop that I may have your approval & not censure I am
Sister Lillie