At home, Tuesday Eve, Dec 19th, 1905

My dear daughter Lucy & all,

I dont know but you have thot sometimes that I have lost nearly all of my former love and affection for you by your not getting any lines from me, only a few, & far between. But I can assure you that I have just that same parental solicitude for all of my absent children as ever and so very often think of you all. One thing that you have said in one of your letters within the past year (with the many other impressive thoughts) was when expressing your heartfelt regrets of being obliged to have to live so far away from your father, mother brothers and sisters, twas this. "By and by the letters from home would all stop coming." O how that truth did impress me and it is a sad, sad thought to reflect upon. Then you spoke of the many little things that you would so much like do for us in our declining years could you have us live near you. I so much appreciate your undying love for us, your aged parents. Had we stayed there, when we were all there, it might have been the better thing for us to have done. But it did seem to me that I would never be satisfied, and would not feel at home again there, as everything was so different and strange to me. But, so it is and it maybe that in a few fleeting years, we will be sleeping in the cold, cold ground. "Time, like muffled drums, is beating our funeral marches to the grave." Our health is fairly good, but not as good as could be wished. Your mother is crippled considerably with rheumatism and I have the head trouble still, that I have told you of before, which I may or may not get rid of. Which if I had been free of, you would have heaard from my pen oftener.

I told "mother" that I was going to make you a birthday present of a letter, and will hope that you may get it right in the morning of the 26th day of December. We all enjoy your good & intresting letters very much. Guess you inherited your letter writing gift from me, as my fathers folks used to compliment me upon the good missives sent back to my childhood's old home, in old York State.

We have built a fine large barn this fall. It is 28 x 46 x 16 ft high with good steel hay forks & slings for unloading hay above. Then a fine basement for stabling the cows & horses, all of the floor of which is solid cement, with good cement gutters behind the 2 rows of cows & and the horsess. We have a very fine large orchard of apples & plums, grapes, etc, some of which are fine. Our place is a paraadise to look at now. We have now the R.F.D. and the Telephone that is very handy. Clarence will, I guess, take some views of it and send you. Hoping to hear from you soon and wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. And with much love to you all I will bid you all a good night over the thousands of miles between us.

From your loving father & grandfather


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______ 20.

Will say that the winter so has been very fine, excepting a few days when it was cold. No sleighing at all. Alice and husband are well. He has a good job in the wholesale house here at nearly 40 dollars per month, all under cover. The baby grows and is well. I am glad that you children are so good to their parents. How I would like to see them all again, but can hardly hope to. Orvilles oldest is going to the city school in town. She learns real well. Has a fine school and the best of teachers. She walks the way a good deal. It is a mile & 1/2. She is past 8. "Lilly" is a real pert little chubby, little chap. She thinks lots of her granpa. She comes down to granmas so much. Likes to eat here 1/2 the time. Now I must start with old Jim and that same old top buggy that we took to Cal. with us to get Gertie from school.

Truly yours,

Father

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