Providence July 17^th 1864

 

Dear Farther

I should like to know what you think of me for not answering your letter. here it is two weeks and I am answering it. you must forgive me this time and I will do better in future. farther this is the third time I have commenced to write to you and something has happened so I did not send it. I am all alone this sunday afternoon and I am now going to write you a long letter. Roby is writting to you and del has gone to take a nap when he wakes up he will write also.

                                                                       

I am haveing great times home at preasant liny thinks of going to new york and spend her vacation. I suppose you have heard the news from Jersey by this time if not I will tell you Ret is going to be married in december to a Mr Davidson who is boarding there he is verry wealthy and if nothing happens Rit will be Mrs Davidson. Adel has gone home and Em is coming on in a few days. Farther you must come home and give away the Bride. tell Ernest he will have a new cousin

                                                                       

I suppose I must tell you something about Maggie well she get along verry well. she has been out twelve days since she came home. that is pretty good I think. how many lessons I have learned in that time nobody knows farther it come pretty hard just now for me for some time I am all discouraged. you must not think that I am discouraged with my business for I am not far from that I want experience for I young yet and can not do as good as I want to. I have been working out to Mrs Wartermans and she is verry much pleased. I do not work as fast as I used to. I have been sick for a bout three or four weeks since I came home / and that is one reason. If I do not have something to take up my time I am allmost crazy I have very bad pains in my head wich last me a great many days the Doctor calls them nervous head aches. I never had them before I went away, and why I should have them so much I do not know. three weeks I could hardly stand up and I never was so oppresed for breath. that is all gone and I am as well as ever. you never saw any body grow so fleshy as I did in Jersey I weighed one hundred and fifteen pounds and after I had been home three weeks I weighed one hundred and six, dont you think that was coming down some for me. I ges I have said about enough of my self for self prais dont go a great ways.

                                                                       

Farther how are you and Ernest getting along are you as well as you can be and does Ernest look well. I am some time afraid he will never verry well for I think he was a little to young to go out their how does he get along. does he ever swear. farther never swear and wartch watch over Ernest so he never will never let him drink any liquor I would rather die then then see him drink. never never touch it is worse then poison. you never saw so many men intoxicated as their is in providence and so many on this Avenue I am a fraid to go out at night alone

                                                                       

Liny lizzie and Louise have gone to church Louise is getting along very well you ought to see my hat and lizzie bonnet she has made cant be beat. Del has his report tomorrow and you will see what a good scholar he is. he has had to absent two or three times on my account so you see he does not stand so high the first half term. Robert he is one of the smart kind spell and read real good. Frank stand by me and watches me as I write and I gess he think I am not a very good writter Frank is one of the good boys. he is verry well at preasant. he / knows your picture and your old hat he will take it up hang it in the entry, and say papas hat farther you should see georgy he is the queerest boy you ever saw. yesterday he came up to me with a stick in his mouth and says here is farther has come home he was trying to play you he says you smoke and when he gets a big man he is going to smoke to. Carrie is crying and I ges that is all she has done for the last few days. Real pretty she has grown the girls say I spoil the children. Mother is going to get carriage and take all the children out to Mr Rices this week and that will be fun all the house to your self of for one day

                                                                                   

Oh I had forgot all about the machine I like it verry much and would like it a great deal better if I could pay for it my self. you want to know how much it cost it cost 52$ Dollars. I have got no bill from Mr Blodget for I have had no chance to see him. I will get it and send it.

                                                                                   

So you have looked at mothers dress it does not set as well as I should like to have it for mother is not verry carefull how she takes care of her self one of these days I will make her some thing that will make her dresses set better. you want to know what mothers dress is made of I will send you a piece and a piece of her new one. Farther you ought to see lizzie dress dont it set handsome she cuts nice I can tell you. she does not like dress makeing and is going to do something else. so you think that liny made the sleeves do you no she did not I made them and lizzie made the trimming and it looks nice. I can tell you lizzie is the nice sewer. no shingle for me Lizzie Lou & I am are going to have a store one of these days and then we will let you nail up the shingle

                                                                                   

I had the nice letter from Ernest though and he told me all a bout you. you think I cant have / Ernest, well we will let Louise have him for I think they would make a better looking couple. Liny says I cant have you. I would like to see her help herself.

                                                                                   

How do the men behave and how does Mr Bishop get along hope he will learn what is right before he dies. do you receive your papers Louise sends them week.

                                                                                   

I had forgot to tell you some thing I am going on up town for a few weeks a friend of linys has offered to take me to board and liny wants me to go what do you think had I better go she will take me for three dollars liny says that she will pay for it. I did not get any reast in Jersey and liny thinks if I went away it would make me feel better in the fall. I dont know. I should like to go and yet I should rather have the girls go. lizzie and louise are going to new york in the fall if we can spair the money it will do them good. Louise will finish at Mrs Brogdens by that time would you go if you was me. I wish I had you here for minuet the best kiss you should and every thing I could give you. we miss you a great deal now. now is the time we nead you most. some one that will cheer us up

                                                                                   

Farther you will not think this discouraging for I am not pleas excuse the looks Farther for if I should copy it I should never send it My letter is not as long as linys nor so pleasing. what I mean by that is the composing and the writting one of these day I will practice and learn     Good By

 

Farther and May God bless you and Bring you home

Excuse                                                                       

to your Daughter            Maggie

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