My Dear Miss Heacock: You must excuse me for not writing to you before. Do not think I have forgotten you. The reason I did not write was because Mrs. Jemison said she was going to write you. I was waiting on her. We have holidays and all have gone to their homes but me and one little girl about seven years of age, and she is not much company for me, and she has just come in, and she is all the time talking about her mother, and wanting to go home. She is a nice little thing and I feel so sorry for her. Sometime she goes to the window and says “I wish my mother would come, all the oder children is done home but me.” Please give my love to Miss Jennie, Miss Towle, and all the other kind friends at the Home. Tell Susie, (one of the inmates of the Home) that I have written to her and received no answer. I would like to see you al sometime.
Give my love to all the children
and Miss Malinda (one of the nurses of the Home). I hope
you will have a nice holiday time. |
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Dear friend Miss Heacock:
After quite a long delay I take my pen in hand to inform you that
I am well and am doing well. You must excuse me for not answering
your letter before, on account of my being very busy. I am now
engaged in learning the printer's trade in a small village named--.
I commenced my trade on the ninth day of May, 1885, and have
now just one year and about four months to serve, when I hope
that I shall then be a first-class printer. As a compositor
or typo, I now can average a column of minion type in a day.
A column is equal to about five thousands ems. That is called
very fast time, for one that has almost just commenced. I like
the business very well. But I shall stick to it if my health
is good and does not fail me. I am having first-class health
at present. My mother and father are getting old and feeble
and are not able to do much, but they are so as to be around.
I am satisfied that they do all they can for me, and I try to
do the same by them. Love to all.
I remained sincerely yours,
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Dear Miss Heacock and Miss Bartlett:
am getting along very well. We have sixteen sheep, three cows,
and three calves, and a two-horse wagon, but haven't got but
one horse and a buggy. I help to shell corn, and cock very well;
work in the garden, and wash and iron my own clothes; I read
my bible some nights and sometimes get a psalm by heart. We
have seventy-five hens, three Pekin and common ducks, twelve
turkeys, two hen-houses; we have a little dog that we put in
the hen-house to keep the minks out, named Rip.
We have just finished our new house, and have eight rooms and
six large closets and one medicine press, and we have a nice parlor
and a nice chamber. Miss L--has one child and he is six months
old. There are a heap of children around here; he is the prettiest
of all.
Yours truly,
P.S.--Dear Miss Bartlett: I thank you for the good advice that
you gave me and that nice card that you sent me; I like it very
much. |
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Dear Miss Heacock:
You must excuse me for not writing sooner as I have been kept
very busy working. I have been picking strawberries and raspberries.
I earned a dollar and ninety-three cents picking raspberries
and I have as many as I want to eat. Saturday the day before
the Fourth we had a very nice little pic-nic on our beach, and
we had a very nice time riding on the lake. I feed the calf
every morning after breakfast, and I am learning how thow to
milk. All of our old potatoes are gone and now we are feasting
on new ones. The peas are nearly all gone and our beans will
soon be large enough to eat. We have been having some very dry
weather out here, but it began to rain Tuesday and it has been
raining ever since. I am glad to see the rain as it will make
the things grow so much better.
Yours truly,
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June 13TH, 1886.
Dear Miss Heacock:
It has been along time since I have heard from you. We are working
in the corn and plowing for buckwheat; it has been very dry; but
we had drain this morning, so I didn't go to Sunday School. How
is all the boys and girls; how is Henry, he was troubled with
sore eyes when I heard from him? We have stock of all kinds on
the farm; we have ten little pigs, and some chickens, a yoke of
oxen, and one team of horses. We live in a beautiful surrounding;
we have a splendid view, it extends about three miles around;
we raise all kinds of grain, we have seven acres of corn, seven
of oats, five acres of barley, and two acres of potatoes. How
does things prosper down in Washington since I was there? It has
been a long time since--eight and three months--how time does
go. Has you heard from Alfred or any of my brothers? Is my mother
living? Will you please give Alfred's address, and also
my other brothers and sister, if you can. Tell Henry I received
his letter two years ago--just think of it--I have been here eight
years, and have not writen to you in four, and have not heard
from you in two; I said I had not written to you in four years,
but I have; I wrote to Henry, and a few lines to you last winter,
but got no answer. Tell Henry to write to me; give Alfred my address;
this does not seem to be a long letter, but I cannot think of
anything more; I have one more thing to tell you and Henry--that
is, I have become one of Christ followers; it has been a help
every day of my life since I found him. Please write to me soon.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
I remained one of your boys.
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