McFarland-Russell Letter, July 9, 1880 - Page 1

Blackwood Texas
July 9th 1880

Mr. R.E.Russell

Dear Friend
I have been writing a good many letters
and had forgotten that I owed you
a letter. I have been very busy visiting
around, going to fish fries, and hauling, and
repairing the galery, and cleaning off the
yard. I have had a very bitter fell of the
yard & galery. I was at Wiesses Bluff last
tuesday week. Arch P. fell in with me
on the way down. he said he thought
he would get to Beaumont in time to
meet the train and go to Orange
that night, that is the last news of
Arch. We are all will, the children
are boath as fat as they can get,
growing very fast Stuart is growing
fast and is now beginning to cit up
some. Eddie is learning to talk some
he can say look there, see there, and
all gone, wee duck, get up Jack,
it is impossible for Missouri to slip off
from him and go to the garden.
He will go too, and he will not come
back until he gets two bunches of gra
pes. The hooping cough is going all
over the country, children dieing with it.
I havent heard from Mag lately. I heard
that the worms had eaten 40 acres
of Mr Smiths corn, a tolte [total] loss.
Savers family are well.