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Isaac Ducoign July 9, 1854. Dunbarton July 22, 1854

                                                                                                         Ducoign, Perry Co. Illinois. July 9. 1854

My Dearest Antoinette

                Last Sabbath I had to complain of lack of letter from you. This week I am much better off in that regard. On my way down from Centralia on Thursday night I stopped at Mt. Hawkins Post Office and got the DuQuoin Mail, in which I found a nice letter from you, and by by yesterday's mail came another of the same sent, and also two packages of - Mr. Keyes said he judged Baby Clothes)! Oh Ettie I am so much obliged to you to being so good to write to me. I know you will continue to do so. You cannot write too often or two much. I shall write regularly as often as once a week - every Sabbath - which is the time I can well write good long letters. My writing letters of week days must be mainly confined to business letters.

Fourth of July, what did you do & see at Bangor? Write all about it? I must tell you all about the week here. I believe I wrote to you that I had a special invitation to go to Carbondale to assist there "to celebrate the "Birth Day of our Nation's Independence, in connection with the Advent of the Iron "Horse upon the Ill. Central R.R" Their expectations of being "honored by my presence" were however disappointed. They had a great crowd there I suppose, some four or five thousand people. Great Excursion Train from Cairo & Jonesboro. They might have liked it if I would have put a big Train on this Division & carried down a Thousand or so of people. But I would not do it. In that extreme hot weather there would be no comfort in it to begin with. And then I do not like great excursion Trains any how, if I can avoid them, and especially here on a new road, with open cars, and so much whiskey with such people as are here. There is too much risk about it. I should hardly expect to carry a thousand people down to Muddy on 4th July & get them all back alive. However I saw three celebration celebrating that day in Washington & Clinton Counties. Mr. Smith came up from Big Muddy on Sunday 2d and stopped with me.