50

Lexington April 4th 1843

My Dear wife,
It was a most sore dis-
appointment to me this morning when I applied
at the post office and learnt that the mail which
had just arrived brought me no letter - I have
felt no little anxiety about little Mary's case,
and I have had still greater fears on your
own account - you complained when I left
you of a pain in the side, and I can hardly
bear the thought that your prostration on a
bed of sickness has deprived me of the most
anxiously expected letter from you- It is only
by an exertion of that philosophy with which
you say I arm myself in leaving you that
I am enabled to fortify myself against the suggestion
of evils which after all may be but imaginary.
I think or try to think and with the
thought to console myself, that it is idle to
conjure up phantoms of the imagination to
distress me, while there are so many real
evils in the path of life to be encountered.
Hoping for the best then I will proceed to give
you some account of myself since I
left you The day I started I was highly favored
both by the roads and the weather and
reached Pittsborough about sun set. I went
directly to Dr. Hall's and spent a very agreeable