Upper Alton Ills

March 16^th 1882

 

Well Uncle L[?] I received your letter you wrote for your Pa and I think it was very well done for a 12 year old. I think you are improving in writing very well

 

            Your letter found us all well Mother is well. Well we have just finished mooving we have not got all the things mooved yet but we came in this noon and will stay in our new house the night of the 16^th March 1882. I sold my place for $65⁰⁰ per acre and got all the mooving done and I felt so big that I had / to moove to town so I have rented a house and mooved in and am now enjoying all the blessedness of city life in the town of U Alton

 

            Burt & Iva has big times keeping their dog and cats hear but I suppose they will finally become acuainted with city life and be all right if they dont I dont know what we will do moove back on a farm I recon so we can take care of our dog and cats &c

 

            Well you spoke about Grammas fence. It washed away last fall and I was nearly all winter fixing it back and had hardly got through when this last flood came and took it all again I have not comenced / to fix it the last time I thought I would wait for a dry spell. The fence washing away is not the worst during that big rain the sellar wall fell in all the east wall fell flat and I went to work and cleaned the brick and halled new ones and lime and sand and put it up again in the rain and when I got it done I was afraid it would freeze so I filled it in and it rained hard enough to wet the dirt and it all fell again then I felt considerable like this dutch man that went sparking and droped his fork. Well I have got to put it all up again and fix all / the fence on the farm I think I will get through some time between now and Christmas if I live so you may know I am making money living in pie town and fixing fence and building cellar walls for passtime. The RR Bridg at Ballingers has not mooved during this last high watter which was the highest I ever saw it by 18 inch they had a frait train standing on it untill the watter went down. Mother has a tolerbel fair prospect for wheat Jule Calvin put in one piece and the old man Thomas put in the rest and /

 

[overwritten, first page]

 

I think it will make some wheat I am going to try and raise some corn up there this summer if my city life dont prevent. But I dont like the araingements very well You wanted me to come to Kansas and buy a farm I dont know that I will ever buy any more farm I am going to pedeling or going to the Penatensary I dont know which yet for certain If I start pedling I will come out and see you and if I go to the Prison I will go no place only stay there Jim Cooper is trying to get me a place at Chester and if he gets me the place I will get $1.25 per month that will beat any farm for me and if I dont get that I am going to pedling spectacles

                                                           

Yours Truly S F Wood

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