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Charles my dear Son I want to impress upon your mind Eliab's idea that if you would bathe in cold water wash in cold water sit in cold water like it would help you as much as to have a hired man you would feel so much smarter so lively & strong (But by the way I scold him, for thinking so much of water) he comes home from his work, & so tired & his back so weak he can hardly sit up - then he'll go into his chamber & sit in a tub of cold water, then rub & wash himself till he is all in a perspiration - and go off to his work in the afternoon feeling quite well as he says. But I wish he'd use cold water a little less & that you would use it a great deal more e.g. wash all over once a day in water not very cold & rub and dry yourself thoroughly you would lose no time by it for your would feel so much better that you would more than gain it. You can hardly realise how much more dilegently and constantly the men folks so work here than at Milo. It seems to me that our 3 men folks are not idle an hour in a week put it all together they frequently don't get home to supper till half past seven

[upside down]20th To Almeda my Daughter We had awhile ago kind a fix up a plan to have (or see if we could have) you come here & stay 2 or 3 weeks (leave your cow & boy James at Charles's) while I went home & then 1st of July vacation will commence & Lucy & Jane do the work by hiring washing they are old enough & it seemed as if they might but when we came to examine it all round we concluded it would not do as Netty would not be in condition & you would need some fixing up to leave so long so we give it up - & Lucy is going to try & get a girl- if she can't make out to get a good one I shall stay and do what I can, perhaps Lucy A. can help some in the vacation. I think I could get along with the work but the so constant care is sometimes a burden - we have breakfast ready at half past five - write whether you and Lis could come and carry me home at the of a fortnight or 3 weeks if I should write to you that I want to go I cannot tell yet, you know, whether or when