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[upper right corner]
New Haven 5^th October 1852

My own dear Child

Thank you my own beloved Child for
your affectionate letter of the 27 & 28 which reached me yesterday
I hope your next letter will also be directed to this place & I will
then probably receive it tomorrow. This constant interchange
of letters is a great comfort to both of us. I never receive one
from you but my heart trembles from an apprehension of
bad news - the relief is great when I find you & your loved
ones are yet safe from sickness - surely my child this has been
an uncommonly trying year to you & to me. But God! has been
most merciful - our numbers are the same. May this blessing be
continued to us yet a while longer. We cannot expect it to last for
-ever. No my child a change must come. We know not at what
hour or who will first go - May we each one watch & pray
& be found with our lamps filled & lighted! --------------

So far as I am aware - we are all as usual this morning - No
California Mail yet. The Ohio is 5 days behind time - - I do write
such unconnected letters - I was obliged to stop first to help Georgia & Appy
fix up to go out to Stratford - Florence would not go. L. & G. Devereux invited
your sisters to accompany them on a visit to their grandmother - they
left at 4 - of course Lord had to go to take care of the whole. Flora & I
then dressed up & went to make some calls - We met Mrs Matthews
& her granddaughter - they had a basket of little cakes which little Lizzie
was bringing for Tip & Floyd (I name Tip first because but for
him Floyd would have got no cakes.) We had made two calls before
meeting Mrs M. Our next call was to be on Mrs Russell - Mrs M
went to the door with us - We found Mrs Russell was not in - so
Mrs M. again joined us - As we came up chapel Street I pur-
chased the carpet for G & F room - 36 yds [yards] - Georgia would not