RK-070

Monticello May 24^th 1855.

Dear Cousin Robbie

Your description - of the Spring in your country is so pleasant that it makes me wish to be there to enjoy it with you. I wish I could see even grim visions of rain visions of and mud; but there is no hopes of that; we have had hardly any Spring at all this year, it seems as though we had jumped from winter in to Summer and entirely overlooked Spring It has now been three months since we have had any rain at all excepting once. April which is always a showery month, ^hitherto now smiles now tears, seems all at once to have grown tired of being a Coquette and has a dignified dry face through the whole month, April was always my a favourite month of mine, but I think if it conducts itself so badly another time, it will lose ground rappidly in my estimation. Is it so dry with you cousin mine? it ^is so here all over the country, I have heard that there are families in the country, that are almost in a starving condition, and some can not get water enough for household purposes, is it not dreadful? our glorious land which has hitherto been so bountiful in every thing, and now scarcely any thing can be raised here at all.

Dear cousin, how I wish you lived here with us than what grand times you and I would have roaming

The fields of Literature and Science, and reveling in their pleasures or wandering hand in hand through the pleasant woods, listening to the feathery songsters, trilling their hyms of praise to their maker, and we ourselves thinking and talking of of God and his wonderful works; would not this be pleasant? I think so. that is my favourite enjoyment rambling through the woods with some friend and when tired resting under ⁱⁿ the shade of some beautifull beach and listening dreamily to the breeze, as it murmurs gently, among the trees.

Brother Edward and George are collecting Specimens for you with great zeal; the other day we thought we had made a famous haul in the shape of an Aligator, the boy that had it said it was too large To go in a bottle; when he brought it to us lo and behold, it was nothing else but a great Snapping Turtle, so we missed the Aligator there but I have no doubt but that we can get them.

I have been out gathering some silps from the trees for you; the Dwarf Apple we have had for these or four ^fifteen years and it has never grown over two feet and half high grows out bushy and bears about twenty large Apples on it. I send you a slip from the China tree it is said to be so poisonous that no insect can live upon it, see if there is any thing in it. I do not care how much you laugh at my remarks about that kind of Scince as I am not skilled in it. I have my hands full ^enough and head too trying to steer straight between this ^{I doubt if this word is spelt right} Scylla and Charybdis of [illegible] I have one who is wealthy but not well educated, laughs too

much, to suit my taste; then there is one from the Navy wears a uniform, brass buttons, face covered with whiskers which I abominate, I mean the whiskers not the man, then there are others Lawyers, ^and Doctors. Now I ask you which shall I take, as there are none of them hand some and do not come up to my Bean ideal of manly pefection and there is plenty of time yet as Ma says I'll een take none of them. Now cousin mine you must not think me vain because I have said this; I only apply to you for advice you know, and this must all be Sub Rosa.

A few weeks ago I was down at Belles spent two pleasant weeks there, Dear Sister I wish she had never left us I have no idea of leaving my parents. Cruel aint it? Cousin [illegible] sent us his and Laurie's De a guerreotype Laurie's is very beautiful, every one says so.

Has Belle written to you yet? There dear Cousin I see my hand is in great hurry and when it is so I generally write so bad that no one can read it. So I will close. Ma sends a great deal of Love to you and all the rest. Give my love to Amasa (naughty boy) and particularly to dear Cousin Charlie, what is he doing now? Good bye. Write soon to your loving Cousin

Helen. T.

P S Ma is very anxious to hear about her Sisters and Uncles Hirams family. Cant you write to us something about them

H

Bob I do not know if I direct your my letters right. please write me your address. I always like to be certain.