Sunday Morning Nov 15th
My Dear Sister
	I have just written a 
few lines to father and will
now have a chat with you so
prepaire for a surge for if write
half that have thought of writing
the past 6 weeks it will be a 
long one.  It seems you did not
get my card that wrote the next
day after cause back from Perrys
and I fear I directed it wrong.
	I was so tired out that could not
get up ambition enough to write
a letter so send a card so you
would not be uneasy about me
	Ever since I fell my time 
has been crowded with work & company
	First Mr & Mrs Hauyon came on
their way to Cleveland where is taking
his last year in Dentistry.  We had
such a good visit and my abundant
fall garden & [flowers?] & grapes made it
easy for me to entertain them.  I have
had two letters from her since.  Then
Mr & Mrs Gib came and got settled
& got dinner for them the day

they came.  The next day after they
came Melville & Bettie Foote came
and staid from Tues. till Sat.  I never
Enjoyed a visit more.  She is more
like Geo. than any of others and
we put in good time getting ac-
quainted.  This is the first time 
she has been back since she was 
married and moved to Nebraska.
	She is refined and well dressed
and they are very much attached
to Each other.  Their children
are grown up, their home paid
for and good buildings on it
and [illegible in original] in bande, so they
now think can take a little
leasure and enjoy the fruit
of their many years of labor
	He is very deaf, cannot hear
a word of ordinary conversation
but can read her lips so understand
a good deal more than heard 
and seemed to Enjoy our getting
acquainted  He is a great reader
and they [left?] some 12 or 13 different
papers & magazines.  She cannot
read or sew long at a time as has
weak eyes.  We spent one afternoon
in Museum, [illegible in original] in art gallery

It was the 2 first time I had been
over there since Luilla was here
and it does not seem like same
place, so much more of it and
better arranged.  I could not
walk around much but sat down
while they examined things.  They
said they would like to spend
a week there, especially in the
museum.  They enjoyed my grapes
so much.  I had [illegible in original] & peaches
on table every meal and they
visited the vines a good many
times a day.  they were just in
their prime.  I did not have a 
large crop but extra good in quality
and enough for our use and sold
10 lbs to a neighbor.  Their eldest
Harriet is married has two children
and lives in Cal.  Charlie was 
married about year ago.  Teaches
in Hasting Neb. about 11 miles from
them  from Nov to Apr and helps
on farm during summer as his
fathers partner.  Eva you will re-
member died  I was with you &
Eugene the youngest is studying
medicine in [crossed out] [Denver.] Omaha.
	They made themselves perfectly
at home here and she helped

with house work so I stood it
quite well  It took me the next
two weeks to gather in things from
garden, put house in order wash
view & mind which was put
off after I was hurt.  The week
that Glenn came I made Harriet
a cloak out of one Mrs Sayers gave
me, a long one.  And I was proud 
of it - when got it done, neighbors
said it was nicer than could
get for 8 or 10 dollars, & I only
had to buy about 50 cts worth.  I
      part of
used ^ the buttons you gave me 
that were on Luna’s cloak & some
			          cloth
velvet that had in house.  the ^
was a stripe of dark & light brown
so the buttons matched.  May says
it is a spendid fit.  Glenn got here
Sat.  He visited with Helen Fox after
left your house & came as far as
Jackson that night which spent
with his friend D Roy Chivers M.D.
who graduated here 2 years ago
last June & now has a very large
practice in J-  Monday & Tues. I
spent overhauling & minding his
clothes & he washed up everything
that was soiled.  Wed morning at
6:20 PM we took train for Detroit

	       3
He spent part of the day at [Liveians?]
and then went on to N.Y. and I
took 8 AM train for Port Huron
where expected Perry to meet me
as there are two changes to make
there to get onto train for Croswel.
	When I got to the Tunnel station
no Perry was there but the RR man
told me what to do (my ticket had
transfer at Detroit & Port Huron) I got to
P&M station and on car for broswell
& still no Perry  The train did not
start for about half an hour, and 
I sat on front seat.  in about 10 
minutes Perry came in the door
very much surprised to see me 
there.  It seems he was away from
home when my letter got there the
night before and on his way home
and had riden on same car from
Tunnel station to the P&M station
without our seeing each other
	At the P&M station I got onto
the front end of car & he the
back end.  Looking out of his
window he saw [Grarer?] & Eleanor
& called to her & she asked if I did
not come & he said had not seen
me.  I suppose that while she

	         to him
was speaking ^ I stepped from one
		         trains
train to the other (the ^ stood side
by side) so she who had been watching
to see me get off missed me.  She
got my letter & not knowing when
Perry would be home came to meet
me herself but got there too late
to go the Tunnel station and
waited there to meet me.  So they
decided that I had got left in
Detroit and she was going to
wait at a friends until evening
train but was going to ride 
on P&M train to a RR crossing
near her friends & Perry went
out to telephone to see if her friend
was at home & came back on 
front end of car & found me
	[Grarer?] who was at back end
of car saw him stop and speak
to me and also came up.  a 
sort of surprise party for us all
	It is 25 miles from Port Huron
to Croswell so we had quite a visit
and it seemed a short 25 miles.
	A few days after I got there
it turned cold and someway
I took a little cold and it seemed
to settle in the lower knee and

	       4
after that I did not get a good 
nights rest.  It did not pain
me much day times unles I 
tried to walk out doors and
then the cold would set it to
aching but after I went to bed
it would pain me so that could 
not get to sleep until midnight
	I had to sit with my feet on
the stove fender a good deal
for the floors seemed so cold
and whenever my feet got a little
cold my knee would pain me
	That and the noise of children
wore on me so that I was glad 
to start for home in two weeks
	They were so anxious to have
me stay that it was hard work
to get away.  I enjoyed the children
and they are good & no more
noisy than other children but
I think if had stayed another
week I would not have been 
able to get home.  I find that
my home is the best place for 
me if want to keep well.  I want
to go to Die’s but fear will not 
be able unless my knee gets better.
It does not pain me now much.

but if walk to near neighbors it
starts it.  As long as I keep it warm
and am not on it long at a 
time I am very comfortable.
	It has taken me ever since
came home to get my house
straightened up washing & ironing
done & my clothing all mended
up & put away.  I do not put my
summer clothing away until mended.
	I hope to do a good deal of sewing
done this week for will not have
any washing ironing or baking to do
as baked enough yesterday to last
me a week or more.  I have not
done much sewing for myself since
last winter, except quilting.
	Frid I received the following
dispatch.  Chicago. Ill, “Grandma I
arrived 11 oclock to day, all well
7 lbs.  Gladys Trowbridge” also
a letter from Glenn & May.  He
was quite unfortunate as the foreman
in Electric works who wrote for him
to come was ordered by Co. a few 
days before he got there, not to hire
any more men & to reduce the 
present force about 300, & dispatch
came here after we left, but too
late.  He was doing some work

		5
for an insurance co when he wrote
but nothing permanent.  Hew s
feeling quite blue.  May and
family are usually well, except
colds.  Their garden as a great
help to them besides having all
the summer veg.’s they wanted
she writes “We have a good lot of
carrots, beets, parsnips, veg-oysters,
squashes, some onions, cabbages,
sweet potatoes & 13 bu of potatoes
and I have my cans all full
also crocks & pickle bottles.  I 
have 5 gal’s of chowder 5 gal.
of salted cucumbers, 5 gal. of
stuffed peppers & 3 gal of cucumber
& cauliflower, 20 1ts of mustard 
pickles 5 qts of sweet apple pickles
and 12 qts of little cucumbers all
pickled.”  And the children
wrote that they were making
some sourkrout, and that 
they raised 2 bu of pop corn
	Yesterday I received a letter
from [Clander’s?] wife, they are in
Cleveland.  I have not heard
from Perys folks since left them
He & Hugh came with me as far
as Port Huron as he had business
there.  The beets are turning out

better than they feared before
began digging, they are not very
sweet on account of the cold
mid-summer.  It is beets beets
every where.  The factory have
the use of a switch engine
which brings in over 30 cars a day
from northern part of Thumb
and every way freight brings
in loaded cars from north & south
and train loads are coming
in all the time.  Graver took 
me out riding one day and 
Perry another.  He drove me
through their storage sheds
and grounds & would have
taken me through the factory
if I had felt able.  He put
in 40 acres on his own hook &
will feel pretty well satisfied
if comes out even, though they
are turning out better than expected
when I first went there.  He was 
home most every evening but 
spent a good deal of the time
at his phone talking to his dif-
ferent foremen in several counties
and with RR Co in regard to cars
	He keeps a cow two pigs and

some chickens and sometimes
has to come in two or three times
to answer the phone while doing 
his chores.  Grace orders all her
meat & groceries by phone
	Sat evening Oct 31st  the
B.Y.P.U had a Hallowe’en party
at Perry’s.  The house was lighted
with candles in candle sticks
and Jack lanterns.  It was called
a hard times party & if any one
came dressed up they had to
pay a fine.  The refreshments
were Johnny cake (in which there
was a ring, [illegible in original] & button)
pump kin pie, pop corn & apples
	Pop corn was passed in a [illegible]
basket, apples in big wooden 
bowl & Johnny cake in big dripping pan.  no dishes were served
only saucers with the pie &
steel forks.  They had various
Halloween games, and all seemed
to have a good time.  Melissa
Graves girl has six sisters & one
brother all members of the Church
& B.Y.P.U. and they took the lead 
All left by 11 oclock and it took
us about one hour to put house
in shape for Sunday.  we left

dishes till morning.  a minister
Rev. Callender from Athens was there
to spend a week or two with view
of becoming their pastor.  I had
met him & family at Custerville
	His wife is a neice of Mr Refields
first wife and they used to visit
there.  He preached on Sunday Nov 1st
and made a good impression on
the people.  He is rather old for
that [illegible in original].  Perry has a bible class
in the Sunday school.  Grave is
much more contented there than
was last year and is getting ac-
quainted.  I am sorry to hear
that fathers mind is failing, still
it is to be ex pected.  the wonder is
that he has retained his faculties
					ed
as well as he has.  Glenn was surprise^
to find him so bright & patient
	How nice it was for you to have
so many strawberries.  I wonder if
those vines will bear again in the
spring.  A few of mine blossomed
but no fruit was matured.  They bore
very heavily last spring.  Did you 
have many apples?  I like my [roomers?]
very much, could not ask for better
She is more company for me than
Mrs Sayers was but there we have
been acquainted for two years and

I had never seen Mrs Sayers till
she came to rent the rooms.  There
are not so many students in neighbor
hood this year as last & more with
families who will be here the whole
year.  There is one baby in neighborhood
and three more ex pected in Dec or
Jan.  I certainly should enjoy havning
Good Housekeeping to read but think
it too much for you to give in your
circumstances.  I draw books from
the library and take a daily & two
[illegible] & Ladies World.  I get the
Detroit Times (a daily) and Michigan
Agriculturist (weekly) for 1.50 a year
and I feel more than ever that
cannot spare the Michigan Christian
Herald.  It is a fine paper.  I enjoy it
so much and read it all.  It takes
the place of Church on Sunday.
	How I would like to see you
all.  Give my love to Sarah.  I wish
she would write to me.  Where is
Mabel.  Did she go back with Mary
	I owe Mary a letter.  What is her
present address.  I have so many
letters to write to my children that
cannot keep up all of my other
correspondents.  My postage is no
small amount in a year.  I am
afraid that I left your letter
that received just before I went
away up to Croswell and that 

has your present address, which
if remember right is route 10
at least I will direct it so
hoping you will get it.
	Give my love to Andrew
and tell him to write when
he gets his falls work done.
	I would like to run in
some evening and play [illegible]
with you or some other game
	I played several times with
Grace & Perry.  he beat us badly
the first night but after that
did not get a game as we both
worked against him, for he
insinuated that we could not 
play.  Well I guess I am about
through for this time so will
close with love to you all
from
	Your sister Gabbie

	What can I make or buy for
father on his birthday  I want
to send something and do not
know what he would like