A Letter written on Jan 19, 1897

[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]

Warren Mass Jan 19th 1897

My dear Nephew & Professor &c

"Happy New Year" you say Thanks! with you the same & lots of them. I dont see where your letter kept itself that I didn't get it two wks ago instead of last Thursday. But we are so poor we dont have a box now & [...] it was over-looked when they handed him the mail. The doubly blissful wedding was portrayed in the Warren Herald & I happened to be upon the hill & heard about it. Fanny [?] told me that she heard (I suppose from her brother Frank in rest room) that Earsoll [?] has got to drinking & if that is so his wife had better pro[...] gone down there with him on that excursion if he turns out as others that I know of here-about - she did stay money [?] & where from & their circumstances &c, &c. &c. I would like to hear the [pitch] seeing I have so much.

What did you all get for Christmas presents? including the Down Earth-? I suppose you hear from him occasionally we never, only through your mother. But he has my best wishes & is remembered in my prayers. Life is too short to be at variances with one another a few more years & days it may be & we shall bed each other "Good Bye.["] & be gone forever God only knows when or where if we shall ever meet again.

About those old school books you are asking about I think the best way for you to do if you want them is to come & pick them out. & I guess you can have all you want that we dont[.] Its too cold to be up in the attic over-hauling old rubbish when the thermometer is any where from 10 to 20 degrees below freezing to death. I should have to put up a stove there is I was to make the the attempt & that would be impossible as the garret was'nt built that way. A great many of our old books have been sold to tin peddlers with news-papers, but I guess there are some less than a hundred left what kind & how old ones do you want? There are some old books up there I'm pretty sure that were published in 1700 &c I dont know whether they are school books or not. But never the less & notwithstanding come & see for your-self & get what you want.

Now I'm going to tell you what I want & that is a new cheap Bible rather coarse print if I can afford it what do they cost? & I want you to send me a sponge big as my head or less the kind they use to wash carriages to wash my-self with. Your mother got me one in Springfield once for .08 & I wore it all out, & liked it so much better than a wash-rag. I know you can get them there * I will forward the cash or stamps when I receive it & know the amount. & I want you to send me some [...] Periodicals some good papers to read I dont take any & dont know what I want to take until I see some sample copies. Those little pictures of Seffie & Alice are very acceptable & one of yourself would be If you have any to spare send it along & we will tell you whether you ought to be a Professor or what.

We have a rousing fire, but it dont melt the ice from the windows & it is as dark in here as a greenland hut. Aunt Etty is heading to the door & the rocking-chairs are all full of cats & my feet feel as though they were freezing to my shoes - write again with love & best wishes -

Aunt Elisa -