PlunkettWmR1850_184712_004

Eliza if she is at our house
give my love to her and tell her to write
me. I anticipate a good deal of pleasure
next vacation and I expect to ride horseback
some so you must tell him to keep
the horse warm and hot and as for the
honey I have no fear but that he will
take good care of her. I wish that you
would send me a Pittsfield paper now and
then for I want to hear how the affairs
of the world are once in a while As father
said one of you would write me every week
I wish you would put the letters in the
P.O. Thursday and then they would get here
Saturday. I went in to hear the proceding
of the Philomathean Society. I was quite
well pleased with the performances.
It is a literary society an has a library
they meet every Wednesday evening for
debating and declamations. I should
like to join if I had time. I have not
heard anything about Compositions or
Declamations so I do not know whether
you will be favored with any or not.
They keep the boys or the boys keep themselves
the steadiest of any place I ever knew of
and there is none of them animals called
[scrapes?] out here. as yet, you need not expect
so long a letter as this every time but I should
expect a good long one from home to
counterbalance this

Your affectionate son,
William R

PS Love to all