p.

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We have more snow than was ever known at this season of the year before or, [underline]I think[/underline] at
any other season

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Ferrisburgh 3rd Month 19th 1862

My dearest Cousin

Thy kind letter of the 16th instant puts
me to shame. But ever since our great bereavement I
have felt so desolate & broken up that it seemed quite
out of my power sufficiently to concentrate my thoughts
upon any thing but that one great void even to [underline]read[/underline]
intelligently & much less to [underline]write[/underline], except in two or three
instances in which necessity compelled it. Scarcely a day
however has passed since thou left us but thou hast been
in my thoughts & very often we all [recall?] with heart-felt
gratitude to thy great kindness in our time of need, made
ten fold more valuable by the tender sympathy with us
in our affliction with which it was administered. With
regard to the [underline]indebtedness[/underline] thou speaks of, allow me to say
that I think thou takes quite an erroneous view of the matter.
All I attempted to do was to reimburse the necessary cash
expenses which thou & thy family incurred by thy journey &
absence from thy home. The few articles of clothing &c should
be regarded merely as tokens of the affectionate regard which
the precious donor has always cherished for thee & in this
light I have no doubt they will be prized far above their mere
money value.

Thou wilt be glad to learn that our dear Ann & the chldren
are still with us. Lloyd came about two weeks ago expecting
them to return with him, but Ann did not seem ready to