Monday No 29^th
My dear Sister,
I sent you an unfinished
letter yesterday & this morning received
your letter of Friday – I am very sorry
about the cutting away of the “Lip”
which Mr Dana seems to think a
very excusable Prevenisterian operation -
I dont – I hear nothing from Henry
since he left Auburn - John & Louisa
did not come this evening – John’s
mother died yesterday – they telegraphed
to New York for him to come. Saturday
but hear nothing – I suppose they will
come tomorrow & we shall look for
Henry the next day – Fanny is better
to day – up and dressed – Will went
to the store with me this morning to
purchase carpeting for these bare

stained floors – there are two flights of
stairs to each story – both of which
are so situated that they need car-
peting – there are three large halls &
two very long passages – The front
building is a single city house – the
first floor a hall & 2 parlors – the
2^nd two bedrooms the same size as the
parlors ^a hall^ & a small room at the end
of the hall which Fanny appropriated
& which is rather small for a bed
& bureau both – the 3^rd floor 2 more
bed rooms a 3^rd hall with a small
room at the end which we take
for a clothes press there being no other
in the house – The part which was
added afterwards – first floor
living room, closet & kitchen – 2^nd
2 rooms & a bathing room – one of
these rooms Will occupies over the
dining room heated by the same
furnace –

The other I think we must use for a
library for the best books which
will be too much exposed in the base-
ment office – & which Henry will also
need for writing when he wishes to be
alone – The basement is so accessable he
will never be alone there – on the 3^rd
floor are 3 bed rooms – Kate has one
Nicholas one & John will have the
other – This leaves us two rooms in
the 3^rd story for guests – Anna will
occupy one leaving one for other
friends who come – they both have
open fire places – no register in the
3^d story – There is a lower kitchen
with an open fire place – and a dark
cellar for a store room so near one
of the furnaces that it is too warm
to preserve any thing in it – the
rest of the cellar is open – for
wood & coal – We have just one
room less than at the other house, much

less pleasantly arranged but tolerably
comfortable except those large halls
which are perfectly dark except that
on the first floor which is only lighted
by three panes of glass over the site door –
The house is pleasantly built & common in
appearance on the outside – it is heated by
two portable furnaces composed of cast
iron and covered with zinc, without
any admiss – of fresh air or any place
for water – the heat is consequently dry
and unpleasant – there is no well or cistern
except a tank near the roof – The privy
is not very far from the kitchen door –
the stables further on separated by a
gate – The old woman who occupied the
basement room moved out yesterd to day
there is the usual amount of cleansing to
be done in that part of the house – in
the rear of the basement kitchen is one
of those “dry wells” as they are miscalled
being 40 ft deep & full of water which
Nicholas says the first hard rain

will cause ^it^ to overflow – I see no good reason why
it should not - Kate is getting along very
well with two women to help – but as she
has ^had^ to superintend the cooking since Eliza
began to move her work is retarded – Still
she accomplishes more than any one else
could I think under the circumstances
Since the horses have come – they and
the carriage with the furnaces occupy
Nicholas – To day is the first that I
have been able to do anything – Will
provides for the table & now that Kate
sees to the cooking the fare is good –
I have been arranging the linen and sew-
ing on a carpet to day – tomorrow we
expect a woman to do the latter –
I am rather glad the house is not so
pretty as Lieut. Wordhulls I lived in such
constant fear of injuring that – This has
been used so long that it will not make
so much difference – I promised Frances an
account of the house – I fear she could

not read this but if you think best send it to her –
it seems to occupy much space without
being very interesting – Fanny is just going
to bed sends her love to Aunty Aunt Clara
& the pets generally – Bell has a bed
in a large chair by the side of ours –
The weather here is unpleasant for the season –
the town sickly as the Dr reports -
Scarlet fever & influenza, - The Dr
improves upon further acquaintance – is
certainly preferable to Green -
Matilda Webb writes that they are not
coming to Washington this Winter so
I suppose John stays with us –
Mrs Schoolcraft sent in to see if I had come
& was told I was too sick to see any
one – so I do not see her at present –
It is unfortunate, our proximity, for her
reputation for humanity is not high in this
neighborhood – I wish we were further apart
How glad I should be to see you all to night
I suppose when this reaches you you will be
with Clara – love to her – Sister –

Tuesday morning – John and Louisa
have just come – at 7 this morning I have not
seen them yet