Saturday Nov 27^th
My dearest Henry,
I should have written yester-
day but waited to tell you that Fred was
safe at home — still he comes not — I expect
him surely to night as I did last night —
Our Winter is making its approach with
hasty strides — two days of rain and
one of snow have confined me to the
house except Thanksgiving morning
when I rode to church to hear Mr
Foot read a sermon — Mr Ayrault is still
with his father — The day you left
I took a candle and climbed up to explore
the loss of our unfortunate furnace — I
found the mason work very poorly done
two or three holes which reached the
iron from which the hot air mist
must have proceeded in a stream directly
against the floor — I sent for Amaza
Curtis and asked him if there was any
possibility of rendering the furnace secure
for this Winter — He said the most
effectual way would be to remove one of
the drums but he thought it might be
filled in at the top with ashes after

securing the holes with plaister so that there
would be no danger – he put up two layers
of brick on the outside it to prevent the
ashes falling off — John and Dennis have
filled it in with ashes so that it looks
much more safe — I have not yet made
a large fire but purpose increasing the
heat every day until the house is sufficently
warmed unless I should discover the floor
to be heated — Mr Cloah is making the
tin cover to [ undelie ] the Register in the
south Room — Willie continues to suffer
greatly with his teeth — his leg is occasionally
slightly painful — he runs about in the
open air as usual — has been twice to the
cars for Fred — Fanny is well, winsome,
and cantie as usual — She is a dear
little girl — Mr Blatchford came in this
morning to see if I had heard from you —
I have read Mr Clays speech and see no
fault in it but cannot — it seems to me
very rational very moderate and very
proper — I am of course wholly incompetent
to form any opinion of its political bearing —
There is a long letter here from Mr Hunt which
I shall send with this — I hope you will
soon be able to accomplish your business and
come home we are very lonely without you —
ever your own
Frances

h F.A. Seward
Nov 27. 1847.