Kingsville Aug 7th/50Dear Sister Caroline
You say you get impatient for letters to come. I know how you feell. [sic] But duties at home seem to crowd in and the absent ones are neglected. I am alone aunt and uncle have been gone a week I expect them to morrow. I like keeping house firstsake. I have not had bad luck with a single thing Ive cooked. How you live among so many flies a[nd] misquitoes [sic] is a mistery [sic] to me. Even here I am so bit up with them that I have to wash myself two or three times before I can get to sleep. I pessume [sic] Martha has written to [you] about Hellen Luce. She cannot live long I am sure, she looks like a corpse with her eyes shut so ghostly and pale. It will be a very heavy blow to the family. Our family is not as large as it was when we last wrote but still there is enough to do to keep us busy.
My feet feel tired when night comes, and sometimes she don't feel right in the morning. P..lins was here a few days since. He looks poorly enough. He has had the ague all summer, poor fellow I wanted to cry all the time he was here to see him sick. Fathers health is very poor too do write and try and have him get his likeness taken. He grows old so fast I do fell [sic] anxious to have now. [sic] You'll write him about it wont you. It seems as if I could not wait at all. Harriett Farnham and husband has been here since our folks were gone. I like him first rate. Pulins gave me his likeness when you cannot tell how much I think of it. Aunt Harrette [sic] will finish out the sheet when she gets home. I guess she will be pretty near tired and when she gets home. You know how it tires her to ride. Uncles sickness comes pretty hard on her. He thinks there is no one else sick but him when he feels bad. That the way with all men you know. They dont know how to be sick I dont beleave. [sic] Aunt will [add] the home news. So Good bye
Your[s] in love Nic Williams
[change of handwriting]
August 9th Dearest Caroline - C has left a spare for me to fill and I have but little time to write before the mail will go out so I will proceed with out any preliminaries to tell you the cause and result of our visit in Pain[e]sville - We went for the benefit of Husbands health which has been very poor since the week of the forth [sic] of July - he over did. Our foreman was absent to visit his family and Husband felt so well he thought he could do and endure as well as ever. His nervous sistem [sic] suffers most all physicians which he has seen say he must abandon all business & care or he cannot recover, but he has not until wither two or three weeks past. I returned from P yesterday with Ugene [sic] for driver - he was coming to visit a week or two Dr Card who was a member of the faculty at Willoughby. Is now trying his skill. He and two other physician[s] told us there was no cause for fear in his case providing he would keep where he could be free from care Dr C- wants him to stay a few days in P where he can see the effect of medicine and go and spend some time on the mountain which is 7 miles from P[.] Thinks the air will be helthy [sic] If he does not improve there he says he must go to Mackinaw and stay a few weeks - but I think his health will improve - I expect to hear from him in few days and if he wishes I shall go and stay at the mountain house with him. I am anxious he should be where there is cool pure air during the warm weather - do not borrow trouble about him should he be materialy [sic] worse I will inform you -
I am sorry to send a sheet not filled but it is most 4 oclock Mother and Father Wester were here this forenoon so I had no time to write Mother is better, Celia has a daughter, Susan is Mrs Barret Mother and Grandmother Cornelia has gone to see Ugene this afternoon probably when you her [sic] again he will be no more[.] I am not sick but rather tired - I have not time to say any thing relative to your proposition and I do not know as it is of any consequence to say any thing about it - To say we all want you to come home would be nuthing [sic] new to you[.] Your Dear Uncle sometimes says it seems as though he could not wait for you to come he wants to see you so - But you must be judge of the matter should you come this fall you do not want to engage in teaching before spring we want all of one winter to visit -
I believe Sophia Hubbell is going to the St Maries to teach - how soon I do not know how soon - my prevailig [sic] opinion about your coming at the close of this term is that you better come even if you return at some future time - the boy is waitig [sic] so I must close with a good bye - should I go to stay with your uncle I will write from there
Most affectionately yours
H S Osborn