Newburyport Friday morning Feb 15 [1849]Dear children
I have just received your letter & now have set down to answer it[.] I have a great deal I want to say to you but must plead the old excuse want of time to write it. really this seems to be a very busy world it seems as though the days were were [sic] not long enough to do all that our hands find to do. But blessed be God he is not a hard master & requires only according to what a man hath & not according to what he hath not & The willing mind is accepted of him Let us then my dear children as these precious moments fly away be sure we secure our own souls salvation and do all we can for the salvation of others[.]
You say one of Ebens friends is going on a mission to the Choctans well I am glad to hear of any one that has a missionary spirit he I believe has a call to go as chaplain on board one of the vessels from Boston bound to California but after thinking it over concluded it was not best for him to go there was quite a number of professedly christian young men going in her and among them was one of the sons of Ben Mr. Bliss tract agent from Boston. Father saw him Eben I mean at Mr Masons examination yesterday said he enquired particularly about you & said he wanted to go and see you father told him he was calculating to go in August at the examination he said he would try to go too and should like to talk it over with him once in a while so as not to forget it[.]
We have had uncommon cold weather all this month to day is clear but very cold the sleighing first rate the snow in the middle of the street hard & dry as gravel apparently the sun seems to have not power upon it[.] I have not seen Aunt Gerrosh yet Uncle Gerrish was here to dinner Sunday I want to go over the river very much am only waiting for the weather to grow a little more mild[.] Mr Ashly has just been in with milk he says his thermometer was fourteen degrees below zero this morning at sunrise so you must think it pretty cold[.] You ask how colds come on now days[,] pretty much the same[.] father has a pretty bad one now I seem to be from one now[.] You must both of you mind and take good care of your health and not get any more cold if you can help it.
You want me to get some elastic stuff like a pattern you sent but I found no pattern in the letter if I have time before this letter goes I will look into Miss Websters and see what I can find[.]
P.M. I have been to Miss Websters & she nor I could remember nothing that Sue had got there but this stuff that I shall send enclosed in this letter if it is not what you want you must send word in your next[.] [The elastic is not in the letter any longer.]
I saw Mrs Ellen Todd in Miss Websters she told me her daughter Ellen was married to a merchant in Virginia[.]
Cant stop to write more am expecting Margaret every moment to go out with me to visit the poor & distressed around us some one rings so good bye.
Mother