My dear Sister

                        I know it is a very long time since I wrote to you & I have been looking over your last letter thinking I would answer any little question there might be therein; but I find nothing at all of that sort & your character as a Yankee I think you have forfeited. Your dear little Ned has been very sick since your last letter to me and I find by mothers last he is improving now. I do feel sincerely glad for you Walter too speaks of his improving slowly which he attributes to his diving out every fine day. poor little fellow I wish you would kiss him for me and tell him Aunty Susan would like to know what would please him most if she were to send him anything & tell me or get mother to tell me what he would like best. I received a nice letter from Walter not long since on the very day I had been wishing to hear from him very much it was a / little singular as I sat sewing that morning I said to Em—"I do want so much to hear from Walter" & when George came home he brought the letter; I had written to him asking how great his loss might be with regard to the baggage he had lost and thinking if Neddy was ill you were all too busy to get him up a new supply of underclothing in haste and my plan was to go into town & pack him up a large bundle of whatever George could spare at once and send off by vessel but he assured me he had plenty of underclothing awaiting him at home and that his loss was not serious excepting the watch & that I did feel so very sorry he lost as watches do not grow upon every tree particularly during these times our people in these regions talk much of economy for the coming winter and I am afraid the distress will be terrible among the poor from all I hear indeed it seemed bad enough last winter & in the spring & for the coming winter I do not know how people will manage exactly I know most of the rich people are drawing in considerably so / much reduction in rents as become necessary renders the income of many only one half what it has been heretofore the mania now is to knit stockings for the soldiers of coarse substantial yarn. If Jeff Davis really proves to be a dead man the war may soon come to an end. Have you had a line from Edward or heard anything of him or his movements? We propose taking a small trip ourselves in ten days from now and shall have the pleasure of taking Lillie Bache with us she needs the change very much she has not been away this summer at all indeed and as I have the cold still hanging about me I contracted last March it is thought proper to try a little mountain air for a short time before our winter weather commences and we leave here first for Water Gap then for Bethlehem to be away until the first of October the Bradfords will continue to live out here until the weather becomes necessary for fires & as the furnaces in this magnificent place are thoroughly out of repair & it would cost a mint of money to put them in proper order the expense will not be incurred, the children are ex / ceeding anxious to remain out here as long as they possibly can but Elisabeth I think will not remain as long as they wish. Have you any late news of Laura. Walter wrote me he thought of running down to see her for a little time therefore I have not written to him but if he is still at home give my best love to him & tell him to send me a line telling me how Eddy is I dare say you are entirely too busy to write just now and I do not expect it. Lizzie Spooner is now at Plymouth & has been at Hingham making Kate a long visit Mrs Loney has returned much benefitted by her trip she went to Niagara two or three times from St Catherines Springs and went to Toronto she is to change her residence it appears that Mr Spooner has purchased a house in Boyleston St several doors below Lizzie & is I presume to rent it to Mrs Loney it has a nice garden & their old situation is entirely surrounded by the Irish it will be a great thing for her to remove from there. Em sends her love to you and a kiss to May & now dear Mollie with best love to Mother to yourself Minnie & Edward believe me

                                                                                   

Yr affectionate sister Susan.

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