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Alm's Richmond, Dec. 28th. 1845 Dear Mother You can hardly imagine how rejoiced I was, the day before yesterday, at receiving a letter from 'Milo", from 'Home', from 'Mother & Lucy'. I had almost begun to think that you had forgotten me or something else, it seemed such an age since I had heard from you. It was really just about two months, - almost. You asked me if I had heard of such & such thing, & events, The fact is I have heard of nothing, a month or two, or perhaps two or three months ago, Joseph casually mentioned, in a letter to me, that that they had had a freshet at Milo, & drowned the calves, but he supposed I had heard about it. !!! I was almost vexed at your letter besides, it was so small, so meager: one small sheet was partly covered two just such sheets as that would have weighed much less than half an ounce, I guess three would have passed single: and how much might have been written on those 8 or 11 pages! Why could not that Sister Lucy who 'really wanted to write' have thought of that? I think I must have a good deal of vanity to think that you are really so glad to hear from me, circumstances being as they are. Then I like to hear from any one, I am apt to keep up my side of the correspondence pretty sell. I do not see what is the matter with Sister Lucy. I once thought she was quite a good correspondent. You must excuse & forgive this page, but I have really vexed myself considerable about it.