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                                                                                                                          Feb 27th 1840

Dear Mother I received the letters by Mr. Fearn last sat. and had quite a feast reading them. I have since received another letter from Joseph, which I will send with this. I do not like conduct in giving up his situation without hearing from you and wonder that Almeda should let him do it: I wrote rather a scolding answer about being so wise, taking his concerns into his own hands without even consulting his mother and older friends; I sent it yesterday (i.e. your letter filled out, - I am glad you wrote what you did I think it will have a good effect. I suppose his sanguine feelings will be somewhat damped: probably he will have to stay after he has left the store, as I shall not have any money to send him till the first or middle of Apr, and ought not to spare much then, as what I shall have left after paying board, will be all I can have till fall, and if I stay here I shall need to spend some before that time. I wrote to them that Lucy must not come with J. if you can have Olive, I should think she had better stay till fall. As to Joseph I think it best for him to leave there if I could find a chance for him to board and go to school here. It seems to me it is his duty to study for the ministry, if he is truly, a child of God: I fear he is far from feeling right, or having any adequate sense of what his duty is: I have not seen a word from him or Almeda in relation to his joining the church: if he were devoted pious I think it most likely, he could succeed in finding a place here permanently while attending the Classical School. I have a plan in my head: it is this, to ask Mr. N Harlow, who has a large farm to carry on, to take Isaac for his work, and there have J. come to Mrs. Walker's. Isaac perhaps could work for him for wages during the Aug vacation and so get some money to clothe himself for the winter then attend school the fall term and take two schools in the winter and were he only pious he might enter the C. School the ensuing spring. Joseph would have but little time to play at home before the summer term commenced (about midday of Apr.) and would need to come from Boston as soon as he could conveniently.