Fremont March 23
					                                     62

 Dear Brother & Sister
	        
	                A thousand thanks
                          for that
are yours ^ kind letter of Nov 10th which was
received in due time. It was a great surprise
in as much as I had given up all hopes of
ever getting another letter from you and
to think that Celestine wrote too. That was
truly a treat and one that I hope she will
repeat semioccasionally as long as she can 
find
 ^ eyes to see or a hand to write as I expect 
to do  But my eyesight is getting poor and my
hand is quite unsteady and it is a far greater
task to think of writing now than it was
four or five years ago  To-day our children
have gone up to Helen's and I am alone and
thought it a good time to write  A nephew
of Craig's has come from Chautauqua the
son of his sister and so they have all gone for
a visit together  Not long since we had a letter
from Nelson  He complained that he heard 
nothing from you for several years though
he had written several times  So you see [therry]
must be something wrong about the mails 
or something else  I presume he has not 
quite forgotten you yet  Willie received a


letter from Nelsons son Charles in which
he says that they had just got a letter
from you so now you will understand
each other  When I got your letter I had
one written to send to Hart and I put
in a peice telling them how you felt about
their forgetfulness  I was in hopes that it would
stir them up a little  George is living with his
daughter this winter  He has got rid of everything
that was Fathers so I hear  He has nothing 
but a trotting horse  I beleive the man 
is insane on the subject  This young man
says that he will wrap a horseblanket around
him and sit in the barn all day and look
at his horse the present winter  Isent it 
strange?  We have had a severe winter
a great deal of snow and it is very cold
now but maybe dog days will thaw off
the snow  You say that you have had the
ague ever since you went to Michigan  That is
worse than the cold winters in Minnesota  I dont
think there is any fault about this state but
the winters  A healthier country does not exist
in the United States and it is such a fine
agricultural state  For all that I never feel
at home  The inhabitants are so different from
Illinoians 

The Norwegians are scattered all through
and they spoil a neighborhood for they never
become Americanised at all and though they
are a harmless people you might as well expect
to neighbor with so many savages  There are a good 
many scotch about here and they hold meetings
But they are all High Calvinists as bigoted and
stern as their patron saint John Knox
For me there is no abiding such doctrines and I
never go to hear them  You dont seem to be
much better off for meetings than we are and
I have a great mind to scold you soundly
for not taking the Covenant  I dont see how 
you live without a universalist paper and that
is so near you besides it is such a good paper
The present Editon is one of the best of writers
and his wife is as smart a he is  She writes
an editorial almost every-week  Maybe
there is no agent near you and I had better
give you the address  Send two dollars and 
direct to D P Livermore New Covenant
office Chicago and you will get it at once
There!  Ive done my duty I think and if you
will starve in future I cant help it  Dont 
say too poor Charles  That house is done and
what on earth do you want more  I expect
I shall prove a powerful pleader and that

I shall soon see your name among the remittences
Oh, Nelson I think wants to come west again
he wishes us to give him a minute description of
this country whether we have the ague or not
and so on  His son Charles wishes to come but he
wants to teach throughout the year and such
opportunities are rare here yet the country is 
yet too new  He might find employment in 
some of the largest towns but not in the country
Craig is laid up with a lame are and has
been all winter.  It is a little better now
rheumatism I think.  He has always been subject
to it somewhat  My health is about as usual
the rest of us are well you write that your
health is rather better than formerly I am
glad to hear it perhaps you will come and
see us once more but dont come alone
         been
I have ^ terribly exercised about the war so
that I could think of nothing else scarcely, but
I am a little more hopeful now the president
is I hope coming to his senses.  I had been afraid
that he had weakened his backbone splitting those
rails we heard so much about so that he was not
going to be equal to the emergency but I hope he
will come out right at last.  How is Love Is 
she living  my sheet is full and Im not half done
yet but shall have to stop  Give my love to [Json?]
and Melinda and the boys  They must write so that
when we dont feel like writing our children can
supply our place  Willie is trying to practice
a little at better writing
Direct as before to Argo Winona County Minn
and write again soon  From your affectionate
W C Havens)             sister  Jeannette Duncan
L C Havens)
		No 2