[Datelined "Monmouth, 1873" (Illinois), from "Lillie" (Lilian Mateer), to her sister, "Jennie", who at this time was married to Samuel Henderson, a Presbyterian pastor, and living in Wilkinsburg, Pa. Lillie Mateer attended Holyoke Seminary in the late 1870's, and at the time of writing this letter, was a young school girl living with her mother and her brother Robbie.]Monmouth 1873
Dear Sister Jennie
It seems strange for me to commence to write you a letter for I do not remember of ever having written you a letter in my life.
Mother took sick on last Thursday with the remittent fever and has been quite sick ever since[.]
The Doctor thinks that the worst is now over but says she is very weak and nervous and won't be up for some time to come[.]
She is hoping that the medicine she is taking for the fever will have a good effect in the way of removing the other disease which she thinks was in the blood and inflammatory[.] Her eyes were so affected with pain and heat this trouble seems to be removed in a measure for she can see so much better[.]
She has had a great deal of pain and soreness in her bowels and has to be very careful about what she eats.
In case she should have an unfavorable turn she will send for Annie, she offered to come, so you need not be uneasy or go to any extra work to come sooner than you can well leave home.
I want you to be sure and come for we want to see you very much and I think it would do Mother good to know there was some one to help see to things as I am not used to seeing to everything[.]
Mother says she is very well satisfied with the time and all the arrangements for your visit and hopes she will be better though she don't at all hope to be well.
I would like very much to see my little nephew still at the same time under the circumstances it is better for you to come alone.
Mother does not want you to go to Pigeon Creek for fear you will get sick and not be able to come and see her.
The neighbors are very kind and we get along the best way we can[.]
Did you get your list of China things? [this refers to items sent from China by her brother Calvin, a missionary there since 1864] Did they go safe? How were you all pleased? &c. &c. The reasons they were kept so long were that I was away and they wanted to keep them till I came home and there were so many people who wanted to see them & Mother was sick and could not get them started.
The labels came off of some of them and we could not tell whether we got them all or not[.]
Mother had a letter from Johnny [her brother, John L. Mateer, who was in China, 1872-76] last evening. He is well and is going to Sungchow to see Calvin & Julia. He is also going to visit his friends in Chefoo will be from home a month or more[.]
I had a very pleasant visit in Henry.
Mrs Ross expects to go to Philadelphia this winter on a pleasure trip and she told me that she was going to stop over night with you.
I heard quite a compliment for you while I was in Henry from one of their aristocrats.
I'll not tell the particulars.
We are thankful that you are all well in this sickly time[.]
Well I think I have said enough for once, and had better stop[.] Please write soon to you big
Sister
Lillie Ella.P.S. Robbie thought his correspondents were getting too numerous so I thought I would help him out.
Brother Samuel.
Robbie admodum plurimus obstringere est. tu nam vestrum monitum
ab tiro
Soror [roughly, Robbie is very much obligated to teach his novice sister]