March 14th, 1887
Monday afternoon

My Dear Sister & family 

I have got settled down at last to ans your most welcome letter of the 27th which came to me the next friday the 4th. I was so glad to hear the folks were all well again. but I am sorry that I have so shamfully neglected to ans before this for I almost know you was disapointed Sat. I did not have much to write about last Sunday. Therefore thought I would wait a week & more. perhaps would transpire so I could give you a whopper & you no doubt would be twice glad but I don't know about writing such a big letter. this is Monday you know. I was looking for Japs folks yesterday but they dident come & just a little while before dark & as I was about to get writing Charley Dobbins & family Elen, Annie & Floddie come to spend the evening. so that of course stoped my writing last night & it took me all the fornoon to get the house put to order for the children had to play & after drinking cider, eating apples & popcorn it was pretty well strewed.

it was the first time Dobbins (except thier children) ever have been here. She said they had often wanted to come & had talked of coming so much but had never got started. It seems to me she could have come if she had been inclined. for I have met her at Cables so often & all ways imagined she felt bored over it. Well I will have to fly from one thing to another just as fast as I can. I guess that I can keep track of the weeks that has passed since I wrot last but not the days. but right here I will say dont be afraid of tireing me with your daily work, for I like to hear what you do & where you go & then I can think back & think what I done & what kind of weather &c &c. Well I think the most of that week I sent my ast was pretty bad. it snowed Wed. all day but was a wet one. got colder in the night. was nice Thursday. Will went to town on the sled but come back in the mud. friday wind in the south & had the appearance of rain. we went to the Prohibition Society that night. had a nice time, house full, Jim & Jennie saw us going & they got ready & went horseback. the frost was not out of the ground & the wagon run solid but the muc & water was pretty thin & sloppy on top, it was awful dark coming home & rained some. but we had our umbrellas & did not get wet. but did not rain much. about the time we got in & got a fire the wind changed to the north & just howled for awhile. & sat was cold. well we got lonesome Sunday. it was a nice day & no one come. that was the day so many come to your house & you wanted to know what we was doing when you wrote. 

Well we had a nice fat hen for dinner. I stuffed her full of stuffen. & she was so good she returned the compliment. she naturaly stuffed us in a little. Awhile before night I & the children fixed up a little & went up to Cobles & Will come up after he got the feeding done. Well they would go & get supper we begged them not to but Josie said he never went to bed without his supper. When we was eating Dobbins folks come. she said they intended to have come here but it was so late then they thought they would turn .in there. She played on the organ & we had a good time. the next day was like a spring day. Just as I got my work done up & was looking down at the road gate a whole wagon load of folks turned in & I wondered who it could be. it reminded me of you folks coming to see us well it proved to be Bill McCartys family & Jim & Jennie. Wills come over the saterday before to Overmans & come over to Jims Sunday night & told them they just had to come along for he had the visit planed before he left home. but had said nothing to Mollie about it. Jennie said she just thot she could not come for Harry commenced his work & she hated to leave him a cold dinner the first day but they come anyhow & we had a good time. Jennie helped me get dinner. the boys eat & eat & complained about getting so full. I was glad to have them. it seemed good. well we had nice spring like weather all that week & it thawed clear to the bottom if ther was any. Well I believe that it snowed on friday night 5 inches & set in sat morn with a long drizly sizly drazly sazzly rain until Sunday morn it cleared off.

[continued on the back of an advertisement dated June 1, 1886] 

Tues Morn. bright & spring like. how I wish you could be here. how we could talk for I have so much to talk about that I cannot possibly put it down in black & white about the way some of the Lindleyites have been talking & doing. I don't knew whither you care to hear anything about or not as Charley Dobbins said Cooks had brought in two or three barrels of whiskey & was so afraid he wouldent get to sell it now. Since Hood had started the Prohibition wheel to going. they thought they would make the town hot for him. he was insulted on the streets time & again but would not resent it for the sake of peace. they even gathered at the post office when he took the mail back with tin pans & was going to drum him out of town & Flagg told them he would fine the first one that done the like. them they talked of firing anvils, but did not dare to. Mrs Cook & Mrs Tate [Pate?] put on & several other ones put on a badge of mourning. a great many remarked thay might have to wear mourning before they wanted to. The people say Mrs Cook is a perfect Demon when she is riled. Hood is in Lincoln township assisting some other Preacher in temperance cause. & still they slander him through the papers call him a 2 X 4 preacher & a liar. I think it is the same old Mo prejudice that has always existed here. Some does not want it to be anything else but what it is & dont want a new comer to take a part or lead in anything. but for all the racket I think the Prohibitionst is doing good working onward & upward & do not pay any attention to their slanders. They are killing themselves as fast as they can, but enough of this. no doubt you are tired of my letter & I will close. I am glad your country is on the boom again. am in hopes your town & railroad will make you all rich. I wish we was there. so I think you & Pa could make us a visit now his $100 come awful easy is it chill blains or erysipilas that bothers his feet. You will keep boarders this summer if the railroad goes through I suppose. Joe Crossen family is all at Japs. the company ordered every body to get of their land. Jap has to sell or do something. he is in debt & cant get out. Fickle has a deed of trust on part of it now. I have a chance to send this to town this morn & I guess I will quit. I dont know how I will get my letters to the office after while. We dont sell much cream & wont any afterwhile. Kiss Mabel for me, the children each send kisses to. they play outdoors now & are happy as can be. we have a subscription school this summer. Jennie Overman that is Ikes girl will teach. excuse poor writing for I have been in a furry. Give love to all & a portion for yourself dont work to hard & go when ever you can & please. I have lots of work to do this spring & dont feel much like work either sometimes.

Good by 
    Hellen 
        to sister dear

A great many of the Lindley girls, have shingled hair. Cora Allen looks like Nell Brown. Minnie McCook & Ollie Bruce is organist. Leroy Doolin & his sister Alice take a part & Mrylie Armstrong she is as big as anybody.