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of typhoid fever which culminated in brain fever, impairing his mind permanently and leaving him a confined invalid for life physically. So upon my shoulders fell the trying ordeal of the double burden of life! To sum up a long recital in brief; the struggle to meet the exigencies of my trying position [barely?] in one sense (that is) to maintain my little family and fulfill the myriad domestic duties faithfully has made me though young in years an old [careworn?] woman in feeling. well to come to the gist of this letter after a long and tedious preamble; I have three fine-looking promising children; a son of 20 years, another of 12 years and a lovely little girl of seven years. I am unable to teach them at home and perform the domestic drudgery of daily life: I am also unable to maintain them in comfort, and pay taxes on 80,000 acres of wild Texas lands that brings me no annual income but is really an [inconvenience?]. We live 20 miles from the nearest town and I cannot afford to meet the contingent expense of schooling by board [bills?]. So in the midst of many trials in a reckless frame of mind, on the verge of disrepair the thought came to me to address you and ask your permission to enter my eldest boy in your College and let me pay you in Texas lands with good [?] title. The will of Capt [Byrne?] is on file in the Gen Land Office at Austin Texas as also my proof of identity as heir, authenticated by some of the most responsible citizens of [Galveston?], and Austin Texas. Or if you would prefer I will secure by a [lease?] upon an entailed estate I am