.MTIzNg.OTc4OTY

     I thank you my Dear Children for the many expressions of love & kindness I have reciev'd from you. Your good letter frequently occation tears  - tears of mist & undefinable emotion cheifly I trust of gratitude to God for his transcendent goodness to me in giving me so much of peace & comfort.
 And such treasures in my children - I wrote you I believe how I went home & stay'd one day i.e. went up Thursday & came back Saturday. it was very stormy Friday & I hardly got rested before I return;d -  But you dont know how good Charles is  & Albina too they seem to want to do every thing for my comfort - Self denying and humble they are themselves for the sake of others
 But Charles look'd very thin & pale when I was there  I never saw him so worn down. He attended singing school all the first of the winter & of course went to bed very late - - had a bad cold & cough a long time, must be up frequently with the children so he gets not enough sleep.  The rum party rule the town this year too & that vexes him I suppose. Taxes are very high 4 or 4 1/2 per cent __ There is so much lumbering &c. that it is next to impossible to hire a man that is good for any thing __ How different he and Sam'l are -

(how necessary it is to take into consideration the different circumstances in which people are plac'd in order

top of page upside down It seems probable now that Sam'l will clear by his years work [Mill, & woods a full apperations] full $4000, perhaps more tho' it cannot be ascertained exactly till his Lumber is all sold he sold $1700 worth a few days ago tho' it is not got down yet so he dont know what it will cost him