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Utica, December 18, 1852. Sarah my dear,

    I cannot let this year escape without once more using my pen. It is, as you know, more than three months since my last letter was written, how long seems the time! Why did I thus treat my friends and self? for I am the sufferer. Alas! I am ashamed to own that I should thus yield to disappointment. A strange infatuation hung over me, I shrunk from the pen as men do from the leprosy, but I hope the spell is at length broken.
    Thank you, my sister, for writing to me, and especially for making your letter short. I should like to have heard more particularly of "the old house at home" and the treasures clustered there, but 

annotation Jennie to Sarah /annotation

in margin: Robert is very much in need of those vests which I took home to mend. He says if he does not have them soon he will be obliged to wear his best one every day, this would be quite too bad as he has so many at home quite good enough for that purpose. I have repented more than once that I ever took them up. I hope you will ask mother to send them soon. If there is no earlier opportunity perhaps they can be sent with Mary Thomas next Saturday. I hope they will not be forgotten as indeed this is the most important business of my letter. It is snowing a little just now. We have not had much sleighing as yet. Ask Sarah if she succeeds in cultivating her self-esteem as Mr. Fowler advised. I find it quite a task. Tell mother that I found three more of her plates down here. I will send them up at the first opportunity. I have not baked any thing yet but I will try to soon. We have no cooking stove up now. How is Mary's head now? Does she succeed in taking any treatment? I am glad to hear that you have a girl. I hope she will prove just the one mother wants. I am glad that you are again taking packs. I hope the next time I hear you will have tried the sitz-bath. Do Sissie and Eddie go to school every day. We have had some pretty hard weather for them to go through. Cousin Henry went to see Lizzie a short time since. She is doing very well. She thinks of staying there till spring. She had only one fit in four weeks. Uncle Henry was down here yesterday. He looked quite well. I have not been to their house yet. Is this worth answering