To: Miss May Briggs, Ossian, Winneshiek Co., Iowa
From: Hattie Buckland, Monday September 25th 1882

Dear Sister May

I just received your card, will answer it and your letter too. we are all well Nellie is the nicest little darling that ever lived she is as good now as she can be and grows so you would hardly know her I weighed her the day she was five months old "last friday" and she weighed sixteen pounds. what do you think of that. I am getting quite stout again my back aches a good deal if it wassent for that I would be most well. Johnie has got a stiff neck to day haint that to bad for him. Is'ent it terribul about Julia she died so sudden wassent sick but a week was taken sick one sunday night and died the next. she was taken with the red river fever they thought they had broke that up so that tuesday she was better but congeston of the brane was what killed her the doctor said that if she had got well she would have always been crazy her brane had been diseased for years she was raveing crazy all through her sickness dident know any thing sufferd awful. they started home with her the next day after she died and the worst thing happened you ever heard of. they lost her body some whare on the road when they got to Pourtage City she wassent ther's Aunt Mary and Ralph went on home and Uncle Germ came back to St Paul to see if he could find her. we havent heard whether he has found her yet or not. did you ever hear of such a thing it makes me just down sick to think of it. I am afraid some doctors have stolen her. it will about kill Ella onley such a little whale ago she left home all right "they thought" and now they dont even know where her dead body is. she only came out here the saturday before I got home. I cnt write about it I tremble so

we have got our harvesting all done at last and the stacking all done but part of that over west they are over there now with one teem and Ed is plowing with the other two. I tell you they have got to keep the plows running to get all done before it freezes up we have had three big frosts one night it froze ice.. well I never did make such looking writting you tell every body that the reason I dont write is because I make such work of it that I am ashamed to. they will have to wait until my nearves get steady.. write and tell us all the paticulars about your new farm how much you payed an acre, how many acres, if it has got a house on it a barn, fences, spring crick, and every thing like that. when you are going to move out and if there is any nice boys around and if there is a good place near by for us.

we have had two letters from Vermont lately got Florence's picture in one she is a real nice looking girl. you must be shure and have yours taken soon for I want one bad. tell Mate if they dont have some soon I'll ask Kate if she haint got them for me yet tell her I would like to have all three of her children, "and when I get some more I will give her their pictures. I received the fring [fringe?] all right. to bad to take it away from you there is two yards left if you can make use of it I will send it back. my curtains look very nice. come over and see them. I am makeing a new cushion for my chair like the one Grandma Drake made for the doctor, out of red and black.. well I have got this ful if there isent much in it so I will close hopeing to get returns immeediatly

love to all from sister Hat.

Mrs LeFevers medacine haint worth a snap haint done me a bit of good