Dear Sister,
I will take my pencil this ******
New Years evening in order to drop
you a few lines to inform you that
we are still living and are all well
except Mertie.  She is sick in bed
all day today with something
like scarlet rash and sore throat.
We are now living at the old home place
that belonged to Francis father.
We bought it.  Francis father died
About 2 months ago.  He was
Sick nearly all summer
and of course you know the sad
fate about our poor dear Mother.
It seemed with all the doctors
attention we had to give her up.
I was out home about three weeks before
mother died.  She seemed as well that

(page two)
I will tell you what it was
of course mother had been sick and
ailen for about 5 or 6 weeks before
she was taken bad.  She had a very
bad cough all the time and
some of the women told me that
when Bill's Mag had her baby
they come there and saw Mother
standing over the was tub a
washing and then she had
such a cold and cough that
she couldn't hardly see.  I think
if Bill's Mag would a cared any
thing she would a got someone
else to do that washing for they
knew mother was always to
willing to do everything whether
she was able to do everything or not.
Martha and I, when we was home, we
wouldn't let her do any such
sloping around work and now
to think in her olde days ****

(page three)
do it for that thing it makes me
feel **** **** The doctor said she
had the double pneumonia fever. When
she was taken bedfast she sent
for me and I went to see her. The
minute I saw her it frightened me.
She drew her breath like every
one was the last one and she
said I had the ***** three times but
this time is the hardest and she
knew everything till the last. The
evening before she died I was
sitting by her bed and she talked.
Felt like always.  She
asked me all about moving
in the big house and that
was the last words and good
talk I had with my good kind
and loving mother.
Pap is a staying with Bill
and is well as far as
I know but he is a getting
very ?totering?
Last spring when I was out

( I think there might be a page missing here)

(page four)
day as she always did and took
me threw the house and showed
me everything nearly she had and
when we was in her room she had
a box of writing paper there and she
took the book in her hands and said
to me "here I will give you this
paper and you write to ?Dealy?.
I didn't think anything of that then
but I actually believe that she
thought that she wouldn't live
long from some things she said
to me that day.  Me and her went
out to see her two big fat pigs
in the pen and she said to me
I was a church 3 times now
and I guess that will do and then
she was telling me how some of
them had been teaching her she
said that Charlie and Kate
didn't treat her all together right.
If you write and promise
me you won't tell anyone that
they find it out that I told you.

(page five)
home mother told me that
there was a hundred and 50
dollars worth of loose property
that should be here and that
the paper was up at ******
to show for it and she told
Maggie Croft and ** ****
ones that when she didn't
read it it was to be divided
among the girls but Bill
said that nothing should be
taken away as long as Pop
is there.  Bill and Charlie
got the farm you may say
for nothing and now
they are fishing for all.
Dealy do you think you will ever
come back here to see us?
I would give a golden
dollar to have a good old
talk with you but I don't
expect to ever get that

(page six)
opportunity unless it is very
soon.
Dealy did you every tell me anything
about those earrings?  It seems to
me you did but I can't remember
right but if you did it is to late
now.  The morning mother died
Martha come to me and said
do you know that France is so
sick and then I had to come
right home and couldn't go
back till the day of the
funeral and they put them
on her.  She was **** ***
like the last picture she sent
you which I think she did send
you one didn't she?  Well I
will bring my scribbling to a
close promising to tell you more
the next time.
Yours as ever
goodbye dear sister
I hope we will meet soon
Answer soon and tell me all the news
Elizabeth Garlitz