[The letter had no page breaks, so some are added hear for ease of reading]Shelburne Mass. U.S.A. Nov. 21 1874
My dear Sister Martha,
I am agoing to try and commence a letter to you to night but I dont know as I shall get much written. There is not much news to tell here in Shelburne and the news in the world at large you will get in your papers. Do you want the Life and Light sent to you and the Missionary Herald I see they both came here I should think they might know that you had gone a missionary.
The principal news I have to tell you is that Oscar Bardwell is married he married Henry Kelloggs widow. he was married last week Tuesday and went to Boston on his wedding trip and the boys were intending to give him a horning. [sic] he was expected home Thursday night and so a lot of the boys went over there to horn him and they sheared all of the hair off of his horse's tail and took his [...] with sticks of wood and of course spoilt [...] they also spoilt a brass kettle. They took his barrel of vinegar out of the cellar thinking it was cider and another in to get it back. They in some way broke it and spilt his vinegar[.] They put the wheelbarrow on top of the house. Caught his chicken[s] and carried them around the house and made them squack [sic] and then opened the kitchen door and threw them in, take it all in all it is the most disgraceful thing that has happened in Shelburne for a long time, and the more so because a number of them engaged in it belong to one church. Charlie Slate and Morris Stacy, his hired man, Luther and Sammy Truesdell and David Newhall and Sylvenus Allen of our church members went and Joe Severance and Jim Sweeney and George Martin and Alfred Skinner and some others besides there were some from Colerain I believe they said that there were about thirty in all It was disgraceful enough for any of them but it seems was so for the church members. Oscar was not at home that night he did not get home till Saturday night Sunday morning all the boys got out in the steps to see Oscar come up with his sheared horse but he got wind of what they had done in Greenfield and so hired a livery team and came out to church in fine style.
Yesterday we had the first snowstorm of the season I shall think that as made [sic] as three or four inches of snow fell. We have had a very pleasant fall with us I don't think ever knew pleasanter weather than we had in October and the first part of this month we have not had any rain of any consequence for more than a month and we shall be very poorly off for water if the winter sets in now without rain to raise the springs which are very low indeed. Fannie Duneen [?] has got a baby boy it was born this week Tuesday and William Wells has got a girl and it was born Wednesday. Ella Dole Bard is very sick I guess her fathers [?] do not think she will ever get well and it does seem doubtful if she ever does
Friday Nov 27. I wrote so far last Saturday and had to lay my writing aside to look over my Sabbath school lesson and Sunday night we had another [storm] it snowed most of the forenoon of Monday but in the afternoon it changed into a rain which continued well into the night. but it did not take off the snow and it is neither good sleighing or wheeling. Every body is short in it for water but we manage to get along by being careful. The stock of course is all in the barn and have [?] to have water by driving twelve head up into the [lowland?] they manage to get along the cattle now have all been in the barn a week.
Lafayette and Sarah were here Monday night and spent the night with us, and they were here again Wednesday night and spent the night and took Thanksgiving breakfast with Clarinda They are going west just as soon as they can get ready. I expect that Lafayette will spend the Sabbath with us but Sarah is I believe going over to Conway. Lafayette is clear carried away with the west he thinks that there is nothing like it. I did not have any thing for Thanksgiving dinner but Chicken pie and rice pudding for Mother does both are [?] for so many kinds. Clarinda had rice pudding stuffed chicken steamed Chicken pie and squash and turnip and potatoes. I think John had a letter from Frank Stratten few weeks ago rank married and lives up in Gilford Ct. and he is not worth any thing.
Last Sunday afternoon Mr. Marsh preached a sermon to the horners [sic] only he did not say it was for them but said that we must not apply it to any one else than ourselves and if it did not apply to ourselves to not apply it to anyone and although the smile and sound when the text was given out for them we knew what was coming sill [?] it seemed died out of most of the faces and before it was through those of our church members who had engaged in the horning ofenc [?] looked sober enough and in one evening prayer meeting some of them stood up and said they were sorry and asked forgiveness for what they had done. Luther and Sammy Truesdell said they were sorry, and some of the the others looked and acted so they wanted to but it was not so easy for them to talk and they could not do it. David Newhall and Morris Stacy were the only other ones of the church members who were engaged in the horning that were there and I knew by their actions and their sober faces that they felt as bad as did either Luther or Sammy Truesdell, but they could not [stand?] up and say so I did pitty [sic] them so, and I guess we shall not be apt to catch either of them in such a scrape again. I guess it will be a lesson for all who were in it I dont think we shall be very apt to catch any of them in any such a thing again and I dont believe that we shall have another horning here in Shelburne very soon
John went up to Wilmington this week Tuesday to take his sorrel colt up to Chauncy Smith to have him broke it and came back Wednesday night. he found considerable more snow up there than down here Today I have been ironing and fixing apples to dry and to morrow if it does not storm I am going over to see Sarah and Lafayette [...] but I expect that it will storm for it is about time we had another snow I have had a letter from Mr Tuthill since you went away and he sent me his picture and we are agoing to exchange flowers again this winter. I wish I had half a dozzen [sic] or a dozzen more correspondents to exchange with I guess I shall have to stop for I cannot think of any thing more to write for I dont hear much up here in Shelburne hill
With much love I am your affectionate sister
Susan E. Anderson
Shelburne Mass. U.S.A.