Morenci Dec 19th 1856Dear cousin Deborah.
I received your letter some five day's [sic] ago and was glad to hear from you and should of [sic] answered it before this if had; had time but I have been very busy in the store as I am in that business at preasent; [sic] I do not know how long I shall remain in the store. I do not like it as well as I do on the farm, but suppose that I shall have to put up with it as I have but one hand to work with, which disenables [sic] me for farming[.] Oh: cousin it is a hard case to be deprived of the use of one hand after being used to have two to work with I had almost as li[..] it had taken my head of as my hand. I was up home last sunday [sic] our folks were all well as usual. Em is up home now I should like to go and see her but I can not leave as I am all alone and have been for three weeks and shall be for two weeks to come.
By the time that I get to writing some one comes in and then I have to get up and wait on them and then back to my writing again and write a few lines and then in comes another and so it goes, I wish that you would come out here when you get through your school. I think that you can do as well teaching here as you can there, for there is two or three here that get six dollars a week and a steady boarding place this winter. I suppose that you was [sic] very glad to see Margaret when she got home, I was disappointed when I heard that she had gone home for when I left she was calculating to spend the summer with us or rather at fathers for I was out north. I did not have much of a visit with her for I was home only one week, but should of staid longer if I had known that she was going home so soon. I should of liked to visited with her for two or three weeks. I owe her a letter, & I suppose she thinks that I always shall as it has been so long since she wrote to me. I understand that Eleanor is going to be married before a great while but to whom I know not but home that she will get a good man for I think that she is worthy of a good man. I hope that she will come and see us when she gets married for I dont [sic] suppose that she will before if she does then. I would give one dollar is not more to see her about now, and all the rest of them as to that mater. [sic] I think that I could enjoy myself for two weeks or more if I was in old Bethlehem now, oh I would give considerable to spend the winter at the East, but there is no use of wishing. We have had about three weeks of very good sleighing here this winter.
Monday morn 22nd
You will see that it has been three days since I commenced this letter, for I had to quit this letter friday [sic] for there was so many in that I could not finish it on friday [sic] it is avery [sic] busy time with me at preasent [sic] It is snowing very fast now. I think that we shall have sleighing for christmas, we are going to have a dance here on christmas night I suppose that you think that it is wrong to go to a dance but I think that there is not half as much sin in a good sivil [sic] dance as there is in a busing [sic] bee and not half as baudy and vulgar. but [sic] people do not all think alike and it is right that they do not.
But I must draw to a close as the stage is about ready to start and I do not want to have this lay over another day[.] Please direct to Morenci Mich please write soon and all the news & excuse mistakes[.]
From your Affect cousin
Harvey E Hill