Teusday evening
My Dear Henry, I have written in one letter to you to day
but the boys having gone to sleep so much earlier than usual
I could not let this evening pass unimproved. Clary has
gone to Compstons to tea. We have all had invitations to
a party to at Dr Rudds tomorrow evening but expect
Debby Wood and George's sister here to tea-shall not go
of course. Since I commenced writing Clary has come
home with oceans of news which I believe it is too late to
write to night. Gus was looking very sorry the other day
Clary asked him what he was thinking about he said he was
thinking about his Pa he was so sorry he had got to stay all
alone this winter. I have been employed to day in making him
a knapsack and Peter has been to J. Millers and ordered a
canteen. Augustus was so enamoured with Peters accoutrements
the other day that we have had no peace since, he was
very much afraid I would not have money enough to pay
for the canteen and when Peter told him it would cost but
one shilling he came running to me and said it did not
cost but one money he was very glad for he did not want to
take all of his Ma's money away from her-he never will
allow me to express any dissatisfaction with Fred always says
"Ma he is a poor little baby and dont know any better"____
will stand patiently and let Fred pick his hair or put his
fingers in his eyes for amusement. Wednesday evening. George
Wood Debby and the sister have just left here. Mr Watson and Pa
still occupy the south room. From the "Free Press" of to day
"Married on _____ at Avon by the Rev _____ Dr Joseph T Pitney of
Auburn to Mrs Harriet Trask ar of the former place, widow of the

late Dr Trask of Missisippy [ . ] This was some of the news Clary brought home last evening, she said
the Dr had returned and told Mr Horner that he was married to
Mrs Trask but we rather doubted it supposing he had said this in
jest, to day the marriage appeared in due form. This is the
same lady that was here from the west some time this fall.
The girls are acquainted with her. -Cornelia knew nothing of the Dr's
intentions when she went to Aurora where she has been since New Years.
The Dr perhaps had not made up his mind when he left home, he took
letters of introduction to seven widows so says madam rumour.
Deb has talked so fast and so much that I can hardly remember
what she did say-told divers stories about Dr Pitneys mean-
ness among other things when he went down to purchace his
furniture he took a silver tea set which belonged to Mrs
Dill-his last wife, had hers and her first husbands name
engraven on them, and had them converted into two sets
of teaspoons which he presented to his two amiable daughters
who had just enough of their fathers n nature to accept &
and value such a present instead of returning them to their
rightful owners-a hundred other things equally generous and
feeling-George Williams was married to one of the Miss Hoffmans
Monday night-last evening Ambrose Cock lost a little
boy seven years old with the scarlet fever-Daniel's babe
is dangerously ill with the same disease-Mrs Gunn who
has a babe a week old has the scarlet fever and is not expected
to recover-Mrs Smith's Caroline has the fever also, I believe
these are all the cases which come within the circle of our acquain-
tance-I am constantly in fear that Augustus and Freddie will
get it-Mrs G.B. Throop goes to Albany with her three children when
the young Enos is a month old. Mrs Powers says the reason she

did not accompany "dear" to Washington was because his health was so
poor. Mrs Rudd returns her thanks in the Gospel Messenger for
the cloak presented to her by the ladies-Mrs Coffin of Ithica
has a young son-Dr Pitney left his wife at Geneva and came on
to prepare the house for her reception-Bronson is paying attention
to the eldest Miss Wallace-Merit to the second-The Miss
Wallace’s say they came here to wear out their old clothes.
The y second daughter who has so many strange actions Ge[ o ] rge's
sister says was not supposed at Aurora to have common sense
I suspected as much before. This I believe is the substance of all
the gossip I have heard. I will not be answerable for its authen-
ticity. tomorrow Clary tomorrow Clary and Lazette go to Romulus
I shall be lonely enough. I have more than half got the hypo
about the scarlet fever Good night dearest. Thursday night.
This morning while we were eating breakfast Nancy brought a note
from Lazette saying that Worden would not let her go to Romulus-would
not get a sleigh or let Frances go if she went in any other way. She said
she had been up until one oclock every night this week making prepara-
tion to go which he knew and appeared to approve. No one knows what
made him change his mind on purpose to tyrranize I believe. Clary
would have gone with Edward but she depended upon his sending them I
considered it quite doubtful from the beginning. I have been up spending
the day with Lazette took Gus and Fred. Worden was just as good natured and
appeared as well satisfied with himself as if he has disappointed no one.
The room is not papered yet-they had been painting and Augustus and
Frances by way of amusement went into the room and eat white paint-
we were very much frightened when they told what they had been doing
sent down for Worden who came soon after with Dr Humphreys. We could
not ascertain what quantity they had eat. Augustus said Frances did not
dip her finger in but once but he did a great many times-she told the
same story-the Dr thought it advisable to give him a portion of oil-he
was very much frightened thought he was going to die. We came home soon
after. Augustus has just taken the oil like a good boy and gone to bed
I promised to tell his pa in my letter how nice he had been. I think he
was too much frightened ever to do the like again. Mrs Gunn died this
morning between seven and eight oclock. Your letter on paper 'colour de rose'
came this morning. You must not say any thing more about my coming
down this winter. I was reading one of your letters to Grandma the other day
when you said you regretted my not going. Well says Grandma I thought
Henry a man of more sense only see how much the Throops are laughed
about'. I could not convince her that it was not the circumstance of their
going but their conduct while there that excited ridicule. She cannot see into
the propriety of any thing that was not done by the members of the legislature
who went from Westchester and Ransellear, some 20 or 30 year ago. Peter said
he had been asked a great many times why I did not go appeared to be quite
astonished when I mentioned that you wished it. I had always considered that
so much a matter of course that I never thought of speaking of it. your Frances

William H. Seward.
Albany.
Auburn NY Jan. 15
hF.A. Seward
Jan. 15 1831