Monday 23^d
My Dear Sister – You do not know how glad I am to find myself well
enough once more to write to you. I have sit up to day since 10 oclock —
this evening Henry has gone to a caucus and Fred is asleep and Gus
is prowling about the house and Eliza is reading a novel and
I am going to write you a letter or a part of one – poor little
Fred I am sure he would have killed you if you had been here
to day with his little actions – he has been unwell two or three days
with worms I think to day I gave him some medicine and he has been
very sick so he could not hold up his little head and so meek he
has never cried once but played with his own dear little fingers
looking all the time so white and languid, once in a while asking
in such a low pitiful tone for something to drink or for ma a or li-lah
to take him – he appears better this evening – You must know that since I
have been sick I tried to wean him as the women all say I am killing
myself by nursing him so long – and it did make me very miserable
increasing the stricture and pain in my breast and shoulders – So Eliza
kept him three nights I only nursing at night and in the morning
he got along very well eating milk and bread once or twice in the night
Eliza had a bed on the floor of our sitting room and he lay in the
cradle. Friday morning I nursed him for the last time and put on the
[ plaisters ] of brown diaculu[ m ] &c – he [ cryed ] considerable when it came
time for him to go to bed would not lie in bed with me a minute
and was uneasy every where but we struggled through that night
the next day went very well of course as he is not accustomed to nursing
in the day-time. When night came again Fred had a fever – was very
restless and no one could get him to sleep – at nine oclock Eliza
went down to get some bread and milk for the night I holding Fred while
she was gone – Fred cried and grew hotter and hotter – I coughed and coughed
and grew colder and colder and finally told Henry I believed I should

[top Margin] Will you let me know if you hear any thing of Mr Andrews

Unknown

family Eliza is troubled
not hearing a word from them yet

let him nurse again if he would – "there is no doubt but he will" was all he
he answered – so I tore off the [ plaisters ] and jumped into bed taking the little
fellow with me – he was quite willing to nurse and you never saw a little fellow
so glad he kept feeling my face and saying "ma kiss" and laughing until
he was fast asleep with a smile on his lips – When Eliza returned I told her
I had done weaning Fred so I took the bread and milk and eat it myself
his fever continued all night – yesterday he appeared quite well again but
when the Dr came he left me the medicine which I gave him to day as
he had fever again last night – I am in hopes he will be much better tomorrow –
so endured my weaning experiment & I do not think I will again attempt
it when I am sick as it requires strength of body and mind both – I do not
know what Henry has written you about my being sick but I think I
have had a pretty sorry time of it – & I could not refrain from comparing
it all the time with my last illness when you was with me – Mrs Julian
and Mrs Cary came in to see two or three times a day and that was as much as
I expected or desired of them – but they did not read to me hours without
weariness – they did not sit by my bedside day after day and smooth my pillow
and kiss me and say kind cheering words to me and so I cried all alone
by myself and said "I want to see Lazette" with very much the same kind of
[ forsanken ] feeling little children experience when they say so touchingly
"I want to see my Ma" — But people can get over sickness of this kind with very
little nursing as I have done and I suppose I am just as well now
as I should have been with more attention – but as I observed before I had I sorry
time of it – I was confined to my bed one week my cold settled on my
lungs and coughing was very painful – beside I had twice a nervous affection
of my face and teeth which the Dr says has accompanied the influenza
with many of his patients – I think it was quite as severe as any toothache I
ever experienced – the first time it continued 2 days and one nights
the 2^d time only one day – I like the Dr very much his name is Williams
there is something in his manner of practice like Tuthills – though he
does not resemble him at all in his appearance – personal I mean –
my cough is almost entirely gone I have not been bled at all though
the Dr proposed at one time to cup me on my forehead for the headache
but as it did not long remain in one place he concluded it was
not necessary – salts and magnesia and salts and salts and powders and some
thing to create a irruption on my stomach and cough drops which I
a still taking were the remedies made use of – I am now eating and drinking
what I please and have liberty to go out as soon as I feel strength sufficient
Now for your two last letters – the first written New Years day some part of
which I read to Mrs Cary who was pleased to say she did not wonder
that I was anxious to get such letters – By the way I wish you here a great
many times to talk for the good little woman – she considers the art of
of conversing handsomely the greatest possible perfe[ c ] tion and appears to estimate
people exactly by their ^colloquial^ powers – I think I [ m ] ust stand pretty low
in her estimation – she says Tracy and Henry ta[ lk ] well – Mrs Tracy she
does not think very happy in that way – She converses very well
herself that is makes use of very good language and evidently appears endea-
vours so to do always – but after all it does not amount to much —
Mrs Julian is perfectly unassuming and likes Julian amazingly – appears amiable
and not unintelligent – She went to a party to Mrs Wendalls the other
evening and I told her she must tell me how they all acted and looked
she said Mr Julian although he seldom attempted any thing of the
kind had been trying to imitate the ladies dancing which she said appeared
very ludicrous to them as they stood very crooked held their frocks
out before and had their dresses made short waisted – nothing else she said
very different from country parties – but I shall be very particular
when I go – You ask me who La Forge is? – He is a young man who is
studying law in someboyd somebody's office he boards and lodges here

appears to be very amiable – I cannot tell you how much he knows but
I will tell you the longest conversation I ever had with him – one day at
dinner – "Mrs Seward I heard a lady enquiring for you to day" "Indeed! who was
it" — "Mrs Throop – she enquired if you was sick, said she could not account
for your not calling in any other way" — we had then been here a fortnight
I replied very slightly that I had been sick and well two or three times –
he made then some ^added^ reply ^something^ that I did not understand – Henry afterwards told
me that he said that he supposed I knew Mrs Throop called on no ladies first
Henry replied that we understood that – all this was lost upon me
which provoked me not a little as I should n have let him know that
my ignorance at least was not the reason of my not calling —
When we talked the matter over Henry said he had no doubt but this plan had
been concerted among them to find out why I did not call & perhaps charitably
to enlighten me – Be that as it may it discovered great weakness in La Forge
considering his leat relation to the family – and a great want of spirit
if he would allow himself to be made a toll tool of – I am confident he
intended no rudeness to me though it certainly amounted to that in my
estimation – he appears quite young and will probably know better in a few years
I bear him no malice he has always been particularly polite to me ever
since I came – he looks like a foreigner and has an intelligent countenance –
This is the amount of my knowledge of Mr La Forge — I never have heard him
spoken of only as the young gentleman to whom Elizabeth Porter is engaged —
Mrs Porter called twice while I was sick and the last time requested
the priviledge of coming to my room which was not denied of course
She appears like a plain clever woman very different from what
I had always thought her – said I must let her know if she could make
herself useful to me in any way – she sit half an hour and went away leaving
rather a favourable impression – I [ recieved ] two cards from Mrs Throop
while sick but have not seen her yet – A number of other ladies left
cards last week [hole] I believe gave you a list of the preceding week
Mrs Flagg – Mrs [hole] ear – Mrs Vanvechten – but I shall keep a list
of all the names for [hole] I come home – also all the cards of invitation
Your last letter came [hole] I was sick in bed and I read it a great many
times – "There comes the [hole] again" Henry used to say – Uncle Ezra – Ezra Schooley
and Laurinda a stra [hole] glomeration – I hope Aunt Zeviah – Nancy and
Jerry Blain enjoyed [ themselves ] at home – I must say I think you had the
better half of each – I do hope the stove will draw well and make you comfortable
We have burned wood part of the time in our grate since I have been sick the
Dr said the heat was much better for me – & I could feel a great relief
the heat from coal resembling a close stove more – but the weather grew cold
again and I grew better and Henry's conscience would not allow him to ask
Mr Landon to supply us with W wood any longer — I never shall like coal as
well as wood it is such dirty stuff – the dust and ashes settle upon every
thing and the bottoms of d[ re ] sses are not decent more than two days – that is
skirts &c — whenever you [ wi ] pe off a table or chair with a wet cloth it
makes it as black as ink [ an ] d woe th to the ruffle or handkerchief that unfor-
tunately gets deposited on an undusted table – nothing which must remain at all
exposed and as to that matter the dust will make its way into drawers and closets
so much for the beauties of coal – we have had no difficulty in keeping warm
since we had a larger grate set – O I called on Mrs Dole three or four weeks ago before
Ann Eliza came to see me I thought I had mentioned it in my letter – She and
Mrs Clark were well – living all alone I should think – Catherine had gone to Middle-
bury to spend the winter – Mrs Nicholson does not live far from them but I
have not been there yet — I also called to the store on purpose to see Joshua Burt
so you can tell his mother – I was very sorry I was too ill to see him when he
called New Years day — Gus says I must tell cousin Fan that he can see the river from
where he lives and he is going to send her a letter in one of his Ma's the
first private opportunity he has — he was much pleased with what you
wrote about Thomas — he says he wishes he would come here he should be

as glad to see him as he was the time he came to Romulus – Fred calls every
colored man he sees Tommy – pictures and all — I will take this occasion
to inquire concerning the health of all the invalids of that description
I suppose by means of Joshua you hear occasionally – How is Peter wife
Thomas mother and Harriet?
Tuesday morning – I did not finish my letter last night – Fred was very
uneasy all night but appears better this morning – Mrs Julian and Mrs Carey
have both been in this morning they are both sick and say it is my turn
now to come and see them – Mrs Carey has a cold and Mrs Julian a swollen
face which she has had lanced – O I have forgotten to say one word about Mrs
Bronson – I went up to see her twice before I got sick myself found her very comfortable
I believe she continues so yet – I think she and Mrs T— must have had some
difficulty while they both lived in Utica not from any thing Mrs Bronson
Mrs. Alvah Worden –
Auburn —
ALBANY
JAN
24

[right Margin] has said as she never has said one word against Mrs T– and Mrs Bronson is the only person since
I have been here that has even asked how Mrs T– was – no one else has mentioned her name – I know nothing of Mrs B—s family but am inclined to think her father

Unknown

must be or have been quite as decent
as Mr Hunt

x

Montgomery Hunt

 Death: 1837-01-05

from all accounts of the latter — He certainly has more sense and appears better bred
than his daughter — Your own Sis — Frances —