[Some paragraph breaks were added for ease of reading.]Monday, A.M.
Dear Sister
I have sit down to write you a short letter this morning thinking that would be better than not to have any. I should like to know how you & Hellen are prospering this morning. I hope this letter will find you both well & enjoying yourselves as I suppose it is vacation there now. I was at Mr. Harwoods yesterday. Clara (the Doctor thinks) will get along and get up before long, Mary is not quite as well, we are all quite well here at home.
James is going to ploughing this morning, we have not heard from Caroline since the next week after she went back. I shall write to her soon. I am going this afternoon up to Mrs. Rawleys. I shall stop at Mr Wilson & stay a day or so. I am fixing things to make my self ready to go to the Ohio. I was at Mrs Wisewell 3 days. Last week made her a de laine dress. She spoke of your visit at the Delanon that she enjoyed it very much & that you seemed to. You must take some rides during vacation & get well recruited up.
I suppose you will make your calico dress before long. Ma says you must write often if we don't. She likes her cup very much, I am very thankful for the note paper & envelopes. Pa says tell her she must not work to[o] hard through the vacation that it will be as bad as study. Clara told me to tell the girls she thought she should be well enough to come back in July. There Julia I cannot write any more this morning for I have got ever so much to do before I go away this afternoon.
But I had forgotten to tell you that Amanda Ford was dead, she was buried last Saturday, she died quite sudden, with the quick consumption.
Nancy Fitch & Dan. Holbrook are to be married in the course of a week or two. Tell Hellen she is going to lose Dan - for sure tell her that Hiron [?] & David have been about here, but very likely she is aware of that fact long before this.
There now I must stop with much love,
I remain your Sister Lydia