E Wilton Nov 5 /83My dear Emma
I know you will be anxious to hear from Mittie I should have written yesterday but could not find time. She was sick sooner than she expected and her nurse could not come just yet so we had to make the best of it and I am staying till they can do better another woman is with us - M. was taken Thursday night was very sick and so she only grew worse with no possibility of ever being better till about four in the morning the child had to be taken to save her life as she could not have lived in that way but little longer. The Dr took it without instruments but it was badly bruised and one little leg, broken he thought it dead and when he gave it to me he said there was no life but began to show life and when put into a warm bath it came to. We did not think it could live but it is now doing well and to day the Dr has set the little leg and eased it in plaster paris from the back to the ends of its toes it was broken near the hip - he thinks he can make a nearly perfect limb if not quite [...] rather Mrs Atwood has just dressed her we have had to keep her in cotton batten till now. I think she is the prettiest new born babe I ever saw she scarcely cried at all while he was putting on the plaster paris and setting the bone she went to sleep twice while he was at work on her - she is so bright such a little round head and full how I wish Abby could see her. M. seems very comfortable and the Dr says she is doing well, he says in all his practice he has never had such a hard case he feels very badly and I know will do all in his power to save both mother and child Frank says if the babe lives it will be wholly in answer to prayer. I think more of him than ever for I never saw any one so devoted to a wife before.
The day she was sick Mina sent her a box of elegant baby clothes two dresses two skirts one the flanel [sic] embroidery five and half inches wide, flanel foot blanket shirt, [...], sacque, bib, two pairs of socks and two pairs of little stockings of Hollys. Was'nt that nice and to have it come babys birth day. Emma sent her a pair of little knit shirts, some one sent through the mail a nice pair of little over socks - there was no post mark and she did not know where they came from unless Miss Price sent them - I am now anxious for Jennie Frank has work in Cleveland for the present I guess as he can have a good place there. I dare not write them how sick M- was for fear she will worry and be worse. I wish she was over as well as M --
Now I have written all I could about M- don't worry about them I will write again soon - Charlie has been sick again but is better now - dont he have a hard time I hope he will not be sick again
Write and tell me the news M- sends lots of love so do we all. to all of you -
Good bye
Abby.[The baby's name was Louise. Emma added in pencil at a later date: "Louise alive and well Apr 30 - 1912."