Coxboro' Dec 27^th 1863.

 

            Dear friend Try

                                    Your welcome and unexpected letter I recieved last Wednesday eve and was so glad to have a letter from you. I have set several times to write you but have untill now been obliged to spend my time for something else. I received a letter from Emily only a few days after I came back and have not answered it yet, but am going to write to her soon. Time with me passes about the same as usual. Alsen Beleher came home on a visit a week ago yesterday and is going back tomorrow morning, and yesterday morning he came to the shop and invited Eliza Ann Mary Curtis and myself to go to ride and brought me a present of a book, "Faith Gartneys Girlhood" a splendid story. sometime I want you to read it. I am not going to lend it but you may read.

 

Well at half past one he came to the shop with / a nice team, and we four went to Wrentham to see Henry. We had a splendid time, got back at five oclock, and I went down to Elizas and spent the evening. We had a great time here christmas, or "the night before Christmas" We had a christmas tree in the large [?]ing hall and tableaux in the sewing hall and we had a real "Santa Claus" to take the presents from the tree, a young man dressed like Santa Claus, with long grey hair and there were two girls helped take the presents from the tree dressed in short red dresses. They both had very long black hair unbraid and hanging loose They had on white crowns spotted with black with little bells on them. they looked like little fairies up on the tree. For presents I had a bottle of cologne, an ivory paper cutter, a little red tin pail ful of candy and a little china doll in it, and a fancy picture, photograph. there was a piece of paper around the paper cutter on which Santa Claus wrote "If good wishes are of any value, there is not a girl in the shop richer than your little self" / I wish you might have been there. we had some fun, the public were invited and the halls were crowded. I hope you had a "merry Christmas and "wish you a happy New Year". has Fred got home yet? I hope he has or will come soon. give my regards to him. Henry came to see me last Sunday and we spent the afternoon and evening at Anna Belchers and Eliza Anns. I have to go so much that I am tired to death half the time. I have an awful headache today. The Belchers you wished me tell you about are the same as usual. Anna sends her regards to you. Mary C— and E— got home pretty safely that night. I believe they lost their way once a little but did not go far out of the way. Mary said she climed every guide post she see. I received a letter from Frank B— last night. he is in the same place and is well. I have got to pen a letter to him tonight, so must close this and go about it. If I could see you I could talk as long as you would wish to hear me, but now must write good night please write again soon / to yours truly and affectionately

                        Ellen M. W.

 

"My love to your sister and all enquires"

Nell.

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