p.

Thomas has hired a man by the name of Rideout from Woodbury
to work this summer - he expects him tomorrow - wages & in
fact every thing bear an enormous price here this season.
I think he pays $24 per mo. butter is 36 cts. cheese 16 - sugar
16 eggs [doo?] cotton cloth 40 cts per yard &c. &c. - Olympia Brown
a Universalist, a female Reverend, preaches at the east village once in
4 weeks - Charley has just returned from meeting- she has the
largest gatherings of any one that attends there - Ballon & Spencer
have preached occasionally through the winter -

The temperance folks have quite waked up in the village
they have closed up a number of shops we hear - The fair ground
is being covered, in part, with hospital buildings - & the invalids
from Brattleboro' are to be removed here, I understand -

Orlana is now at home on a visit - she seems pleased with her
situation & I think has really improved in her manners & gen-
eral appearance - Ann says she stands really well in the estima-
of all at the semminary - Thee often hears from Ann I suppose, so
I need not tell thee of her health & comfortable getting along -

Timothy & James remain at Denver - going off occasionally
a 100 or 200 miles on errands - they seem to enjoy it pretty well -
T. seemed to think he should almost like to be in thy place at Richmond
should hardly have felt satisfied not to see both sides of the thing.
It reminds of the lines "Then let him come & be the slave, & I will
be the free" - I shall not cease to regret that thy
mind has become so soured against friends - I must think if
thee understood the whole thing, thee would feel differently - it really
sounded cold to me to have thee close thy letter "your loving son" -
The powers at Washington have done I suppose all they think they
can for those conscienciously opposed to fighting - they are to be assigned
duty in the hospitals or among the Freedmen - Friends are doing an
abundance for the colored people in the way of clothing & teaching in
all parts of the country I believe - a great deal of clothing has been
sent by friends & others from Vt. We have packed a barrel & sent from
this neighborhood - - Howard wants to send uncle Willie something &
so puts in the piece of dried beef - I hope to get a very long letter from thee
soon - I dd not write to Richmond but once, fearing if our letters were too
frequent they would be less likely to get to thee -