Providence Sept 4th 1864
Dear Father
We received your letter last week and you do not know how glad it made us all feel. We also receive a letter from Ernest at the same time. Ernest tells us you want a pair of boots. you must be on the look-out for them for we are going to send them tomorrow so you see they will come soon after the letter. I should like to know what is the matter with you do you know what I think you had better do. I think you ought to come home where you are the place is not good for you. Ernest says you have been very sick and I gess he tells the truth. Father if you do not feel any better when you receive this will you pleas please me and come home at once we will try and do some thing and all work together we nead you and if you stay their we shall feel bad all the time nothing seems right when you are away and we all look up to you for advice so just please listen to little Me.
Liny came home this morning after a verry pleasant visit. she likes our future Cosin verry much. I must not tell you anything for liny will tell you
Poor little Franky he has some pretty bad spells sometimes. Father do you know I think Mr Titus was right about frank. do you remember he said he their was some complaint with his heart and I think the same. you ought to see him some times, if he is not one of the see prettyist prettiest boys you ever saw then I will give up. I wish you could hear him say some of his new words. you remember the picture frankfort and the man in the picture that he called you. he has got that all over again can tell all of them in the picture their is you and mother and liny Rob Rob Ernest and del & a dog. Franky will take your finger and tell you all their names. he has four or five new words and can speak them pretty plain. this morning he came up to me and asked me to cut him some sticks and just as he came up he fell down in one of those fits they are not like the ones he two years ago. he screams and the blood comes all in his head and that is one reason I think it is his heart. I think frank will have his mind back once more I only hope it may be it will, it will be the greatest pleasure we could have. my talk about frank is almost out. one thing more. I am suffering with three or four marks on my face he has sch four scratches on my face witch he done this noon noon. I can tell you they pain some.
What can I tell you now. I gess about mother she has got a verry sore foot she thought she would go out and spend the day and when she came home her foot was verry sore. the walk was to much for her feet. you would like to have seen mother when she was dressed she had on her new dress. I gess I will send you a small pattern so you can see what taste she has got. it fits her real nice. I only wish you had been here to see us get that dress together you would have laughed.
I did not finish this so here I am again we have been talking about moving as we do not like up here. there is so many bad people going by here that we are afraid some times. you should see what Mayor Doyle has for our state. we pay day and night police. I have seen one of them pass by here four or five times. it looks verry strange to see them go up and down all day long. I am real glad that their is some change for I think we have needed it for a long time.
We would like to know if you have received our last letters. we have come to the conclusion that your letters were are stolen. what do you think.
I do not know what to tell you for I want to tell you so many things that I cannot write on paper. how I should like to see you for a little while. how nice it would seem to see you once more around. it would seem strange to hear you hurrying us once in a while. I dont know what we would think to see you come walking home. when you come just tell me privately so that I can come to meet you. If you only will I will get the nices dinner you ever had. I gess I would make you as good cup of tea as Mrs Chase. any-how I will try.
How is that great beau of mine. I think he might write to me. you tell him that if he dont write I will give him one of hardest slappings he ever had tell him that I shall look of for out for a preasent present from him for next week. I shall be eighteen and I must have something from you both something pleas for it will make me think you thought how old I was am getting I dont hardly believe it sometimes, short fat me I dont call my self out any more, only to the. when you come home you will see just how handsome I have grown every body says you look just like your father and of course I am handsome, dont you think so. I gess I shall be the beauty of this family. quite handsome they all look some times, but cant come up to this child you say so, so as to see what they say. I can tell you that you never saw better looking girls then liny lizzie and Lou and they going to make the fine women. look mity nice walking along just the gight right hight for me but their is no use in my talking when they cant come up to me. you had better hurry home or they will step of and then you will see them Mrs instead of Miss hurry up and come home I shall be on the lookout for you give my love to my beau and tell him he shall hear from / me in a short time if you wont laugh at the writting and spelling then I will give up but please excuse the writting for it is dark and I must close. I am not going to copy this for if I did you would never hear from me so you read this and say what a careless girl Mag is Never mind I shall not have to write when you come home
Come home if you are no better
God watch over you and
Bring you home to those that love you
dont this look horrid
Maggie