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Antoinette Merrimack N.H. Dec. 24 (1850)

                                                                                                                                                                       Merrimack  Dec. 18, 1850

My dear friend,

                This is Wednesday afternoon, and though I have one composition to prepare entirely, and another to complete, I believe I cannot deny myself the pleasure of commencing a reply to your kind letter, received this day. I always delight to receive a letter, but thrice welcome they always seem, when I am away from home. But I never attended a school before, where the idea of home seemed so linked with everything. Mr. Russell says he intends this to be, emphatically, a family school. There are about 60 pupils, and I believe more than 50 are members of the family; that is,  they board and room in the Institute building. Some of the rooms are very convenient and pleasant. I had, of course, engaged to be content with one of poorest,  but I prefer this to being deprived of the privilege of being connected with the family of the Principal.
     My room mate is Miss Catherine McKeen.  Her home is in Bradford Vt. where her father is settled as a minister. She has been a teacher recently in Haverhill, N.H. - and left her situation then, in order  to avail herself of Mr. Russell's instruction during the winter. She is a fine scholar. is intelligent

Bangor Dec. 10. 1850 [left-hand side and top] It seems you are busied again both day and evening. I think it would it would be very pleasant to you to be employed this winter so near your friends, particularly as you find your sister still so weak and helpless. We had a box from home yesterday. It contained a number of articles which we had requested to be sent, besides apples and butter. We had a nice time opening it. Father and mother and Jenny are all as well as usual. I do not know but the sight of this epistle will weary you but there came to be a great many things to write about in connection with school affairs. George sends respects. He sits by me, working examples in Greenleaf's Arithmetic. Yours ever, Antoinette.