Aurora, Oct. 26, 1874

Dear Uncle and Aunt. I hope these few lines will find you all well as I am thankful we are at present. I am kept very busy and I should have written before, I thought you would have written to me. Will you be so kind as to write and tell me how my boy is getting on. I expect he thinks I am a hard mother for sending his letter back but I thought the truth was the best. I do pray that you may have grace and patience to get along with him. I think when he gets older he will be thankful to you you for the trouble he makes you. Aunt said in her letter that he did not get up till the breakfast was ready [end of page]

[page 2] now I do not think you ought to allow him to do that if he goes to bed at a good time. I asked him in one of my letters if he got up in the morning and helped his Aunt all he could. The young folks now do so different to what we used to do it seems hard to get along with them. I was much pleased to hear Aunt say that she wanted him to learn all he could. I do not want him to think he knows enough because he don't know what he may have to do and he can't learn so well as he can now when he is older. we have had some trouble on account of my father. Mother told us to buy her a house and lot that was near us for $500 and then because her brother could not pay just at the time she told us she has backed out of all her promises to the place is on our hands

and I am very much disappointed because I can not help take care of him and they will be 21 miles farther away.