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Ferrisburgh 5th Mo 22nd 1859
Dear Sister,
I had set apart last first day to be religiously observed in writing to thee a long epistle, but when the day came, with it came also a requisition which was not to be put aside. Naomi wanted to go & witness a baptismal ceremony at the Hollow & take the children so [underline]I[/underline] must go as usual - "whether or no" - I went & my letter had to be delayed another week for writing on any other day than Sunday is out of the quesiton with me. I. D. Goodrich was one of the subjects of baptism, Robt. Hazard's wife another - Stephen's [son?] & three or four others whom I did not know, two were sprinkled & the others dipped all by brother [Ches?] the Methodist. The day was fine & a large concourse assembled - (many from curiosity) & the cermony was performed with becoing solemnity, but whether the poor dupes to a rotten theology will derive any lasting benefit by the performance is with me very doubtful. But I must pass on to domestic & neighborhood matters so as to be sure of the needed space. We have been quite uneasy about Lloyd's health for some 6 or 7 weeks but he is now considerably better. Before his last trip to N.Y. 7 or more weeks ago his old cough set in apparently the effect of colec, it continued all the time of his absence & when he returned it was harder than I ever knew it before, we sent for [Dr.?] [May?] & I went & [brot?] Ann & the children home from M. tho, it were only about a week to vacation when they would have come [underline]any how[/underline]
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[Reps?] [Ryans?] wife is no more she died of meesles & [?]
Extracts from his [?] to the Age. My dear R says give my love & say I intend to write soon [Ellens?] only daughter at home died of the same Thine R
We never saw L. so ill before as just before A's return Violent Cough, considerable expectoration great horseness [?] [fever?] loss of appetite & slept & wanting a good fire in mild weather were the prominent symptoms, he is now, as I said before - thinking thou could not want to wait so long to hear, - much better in all his symptoms - tho his cough is still hard, we hope as the weather becomes steadily warm that he will continue to mend & with increasing speed. Poor Ann is a good deal worn by her anxiety & increased cares & burthens. If L's health will admit the prospect now is that they will go to Portland L. to take charge of a store for the sale of Kerosene Oil which Newman & Co are making there from their coal in N. Brunswick. A. has had a hard time at [Middlebury?] she found things very different from what she expected & quite unlike there at the old hive - she will I suppose tell thee all about it. She formed some pleasant acquaintances there among others Miss Knowles, who, with Agnes made us a flying but pleasant [deleted]business[/deleted] visit last 4th day. They came first to Vergennes &, strange to tell - H. F. Levite brot them to our house we took them to the 9 oclock P.M. train. Our balance wheel remains in about the same condition as when thou left us a year ago. She sits at the table much more frequently than she used to do & almost always does the work of her room & at this season as usual she is much engaged with her shrubs & plants - transplanting & pruning & staking new ones for her friends - she often gets very tired with her day's labor. She is as mild & forbearing & self sacrificing as ever. All the other branches & sprouts
of the household are in usual trim except the writer who feels this spring with the force of practical demonstration the truth of the threadbare expression so often made with careless indifference - that we are all growing [underline]old[/underline]. Though I am now much better I was for several weeks almost nearly confined to the house with a return of my old difficulty in the chest attended with [slightly?] increased activity of the pulse dryness of the mouth & throat & expectoration of the character I have so often described to thee as resembling the white of egg partially coagulated & loss of flesh. With the coming warm weather I expect to attain my wanted condition. In addition I have another little matter which I must mention tho I think no one is disposed to allow it much importance, [underline]I not not[/underline]. Thou mayest recollect a little sore on my left cheek bone when thou left us - this has never resolved but if any thing rather increases, the orifice is the size of a medium pea, discharges a small amount of yellow matter & is sometimes attended with slight smarting pain for thy comfort I will add I do not think it has any of the indications of Cancer, tho it seems strange to me that it does not heal. On its account I almost entirely abstain from hay & I am in other respects more circumspect in my diet. Robt. E. is still in the vicinity of N.Y. boarding, since Lucy's removed to [Va.?] with Henry Hawley her brother-in-law - a pleasant family
he says & all that is the head of the family Spiritualists. I think he has attained good profiency in his art though that business is so dull at present that I have counseled him to come home & await further developments. Our Union Store controversy still lingers without com[ing?] to a final issue our last delay was occasioned by the death of another of our number one of the defendants in the suit Noel W. Porter, he died of a fit about two weeks since. The prospect now is that the whole matter will be taken out of court & submitted to the arbitrament of [Dryald?] Stewart John's brother - though our controversy has been long & vexing greatly against my taste yet we are quite sanguine that justice will at last prevail which is the same as saying that we expect to succeed in establishing our claim against Meddlebrook [Fresers?] estate & Porter's - Speaking of Spiritualists reminds me that our friend Ruth [Grois?] has advertised by written notes but I do not know how extensively that she will attend to her gift of [healing?] one day in each week at a [stated?] price of 50[cents] for examination $1. for ex & presentation & 25[cents] for all future prescriptions in each case - I wish her great success - I have been greatly pleased if not edified by reading the Vol's of Channing thee left with me. I admire his character as a good man much more by the acquaintance, & was particularly pleased to find his testimony clear & decided in favor of the fundamental ideas of Spirtualism. So much so that I must send some
extracts from his [Writings?] to the Age.
[Rufus?] Ryes died of measles & widow Collin's only daughter at home died of the same Thine R
