Isabel Kan
Sunday afternoon Nov 11

Dear Brother & Sister & little ones

once more I grasp my pencil to scribble a few short lines to you in ans to that precious big foolscap full that came to me on Thursday afternoon the next day after it was postmarked at Galt. so soon it seemed it was gave me right out of your hand. & the sweet little flowers was just as fresh & green as when they were plucked. Dick & I had done a big washing in the forenoon & I thot I would wash the cupboard out with some nice boiling suds I had left. So I had everything out on the table & was down on my knees & was about to put the finishing stroke on the bottom shelf when Pa came in with a dry grin on his face & produced a big phat letter. well Sir I jumped right up grabed my dress tail up to wiped my hands for I couldn't wait to get the towel & I sit down & Pa up close to me & thar I sit & read & read till I got to the end. & when you worried about him he would throw up his hands & laugh & say oh pshaw. what a foolish girl to worry so much.

No Helen I dont deceive you about him. I tell you just as he is. I guess its natural for some of us to complain. I guess its my turn now. I hurt my old tooth the other day & its been acheing ever since at times just such a sickning ache that it goes all over me & makes me heart sick. Dick wants me to go & have it taken out but it seems like I lost all my grit when I had so many taken out at Trenton. Mabels knee has gethered & broke & is running a little all the time but she dont complain but very little. Doc says to keep it running & not let bad blood heal it or she will always step light the rest of her days. with the exceptions of her & me I guess the rest are about as well as common. Pa don’t complain of his head as much as he did. no I dont think its a catarrah in his head for I was bothered a good bit last Spring the way he is. its the drum of the ear relaxes. its an awful disagreeable feeling. When he lays down it rather gets over it.

This is a bright windy day. just cool enough to have the doors shut & a little fire. is not as warm out doors as it looks to be. So far as I remember since I last wrote last our weather corresponds with yours. & when I was writing it was raining & turned colder in the evening that day. when Aunt Lyd left here she made Ollie Sue & I promise to go down there that week & set friday for us to come. She would have her trunk by that time. Thursday night it rained quite a good rain. lots of thunder & lightening with it. well friday morning was cloudy & right cool. Ollie was to take there team & come up after me. Pa said it would rain but she wanted to go & get what had been sent to her from Ohio & went by & took Liss in & the sun was shineing when we got there. well to tell the truth not one of us enjoyed our selves. they had had so much company all week & Ollie Wheat come the night before & was there when we left & they was mad.

Nell was Ironing & Ironed all the time we was there like her life depended on it or there wasn't another day. she couldent take time to even shake hands or set us a chair when we went in. & such a dinner as they had. not a thing fixed & to tell the truth they didn't have as much or as good as we have everyday for just ourselves. When I have company I give them the best I have in the house but I know they didn't. they had Pie baked but it didn't come on the table. Nell was going to a birthday surprise that night & it was saved for her to take. Well we all had lots of fun about our dinner. Well the next thursday the day you was at Trenton to the Rally Liss sent word for us to come & help her quilt. so that day while you was seeing such a big time we was down there quilting a comforter & got it almost out. & on Sat evening of the same week there was a Republican speaking. Rally as it was called. at Bethel school house. I went that night for the first but had to come home before it was out on account of Blanche. she didnt cry but began to get pretty spunky. she tried to go to sleep but the Speaking disturbed her. & she wiggled & gabbered & spit & amused & annoyed so many that we bundled up & Dick & I come home. & Mabel said after we got home that if it had been a democrat speaking she wouldn't cried. but she says she is a publican. No I havent turned D over & hasent tried. he is a sensible Democrat. he looks at the principle of a-man & votes for a good man & not just to beat like some of them around. he voted for Cleveland of course but the county & township ticket he voted both ways--scratched I mean: oh I am sick of hearing so much political talk arent you.

2) well the Sunday you was writing was just such a lovely day. the mail train from the east did not come till after dark & as soon as the boys saw the head light they struck for Isabel & the kids went to sleep & I prepared our cloths ready to go to the Lodge the next day & we started & left Pa & Mabel at home on the woodpile or she rode a little piece down the road with us & then come skipping back with a promise of having some apples when we come home. it was still & so warm comeing home I wished for my parsol. we got home before sun down & Mabel met us down the road & got her apple. apples are 85 ct per bushel & unsorted ones are 70. we thot we could afford a peck at 20ct. Well the next day the wind blew like you said it was blowing there. we killed the old sow in the eve & had to heat the water on the stove as it was not safe to build a fire outdoors. the next day I renderd my lard & cooked the sauce & thursday Dick & I washed in forenoon. but the wind blew so I couldnt hang them out & I made my mincemeat & washed the cupboard & naped & oh done lots of little things.then I finished my blue dress & made one for Blanche & done a big ironing on friday night. & the next day & Sunday was the quarterly meeting. both days was bright & warm. the Elder or rather a supply from the minister from Pratt City & one of Charlie Websters neighbor men brought him down & got here before nine o’clock Sat morn. I was in the midst of baking pies & had my hands in the crust & the preacher came & grabed my hand like he wasnt afraid of getting some on his tender white ones. his name was Parker but was better looking man than the Trenton Parker. they both came back for dinner & another man from up north.

Mr Lucas came & then I just had the one that came with the Elder Sat night. but Sun Aunt Lyd & Jim & too little girls the Elder & the same man & Dr Tipton & wife & little boy from Nashville for dinner. I asked him more because I wanted him to see what a shape Mabels leg was in after all his & his partners smartness. he didnt seem to know what to think & seemed very sorry about it. but did not say very much about it. Nell went to Carters for dinner & Laura went to Robys. Joe Morris & us had the most company of any. there was quite a nice congregation. so many strangers to me. then we went to Church at night. our Preacher had intended to protract it but it was so near the Election day & people seemed so anxious & excited over it & would be so till after the returns that he thot they would not take much interrest in meeting. & I guess he was as bad as any body. for he expresses his opinion a little to plain for a minister. I am glad its over for its been Rally Rally till I am tired of it & no Rallies either. but I guess the cold weather will put a stop to it.

It began a long mizzley mist last wednesday & turned cold before night & thursday about noon it bagan to snow like all rip & snowed till almost night & the ground was white & made a fellow scratch & think what they had done with thier summer wages. & some of it laid on till monday. Well perhaps I had better tell you that is thursday night. I have had the dogest time to get to write. that I didn't think it worth while to tell you when where & what time. I thot I would get to write yesterday & Eva Williams here & bothered me. then Liss Roby came today & had not been here long till Sue sent word for us to come down & help her tie a comforter. & Liss would go & it began to mizzle a mist while we was going & before night it turned cold & turned all the mizzle to Ice & I tell you everybody puts on lots of style walking. Dick came down after me in the wagon. we got the comfert all tied but did not get it out of the frames & helped put it in after we got there. Election day Sue Ollie & I went over to Mrs Williams & took a comforter out for her. she moved to Sawyer last Sunday. John has taken the mail rout from Sawyer to the Lodge. goes every day but Suns, & she moved there on his account & lives in a Barn but has too rooms finished off to live in & her miner lives there with her. I believe they will be one before spring altho she wont own it. Wed night there was a Ratifycation meeting at Isabel & we all went. they had music by the Anvil & brass band & build a bonfire out of old barrels & corn stalks in front of the store & the men all marched around it headed by the band. then they began to snatch hats & throw in & all the runing & pulling & hauling to protect thier hats altho nearly everybody went prepared for that. Late had about a half a pants leg hid at one end so to leave a big knot. they stuffed it full of paper & drawed it down over his head tight & it stuck away up in the air but they soon tore the stuffin out of it.

(3) then they soon got Pas & they made too or three attempts before they got it & it. was said afterward that he was the stoutest man there. he was out among them having as much fun as any of the rest. then after all the hats was burned they would get hold of nearly everyone & set them up in a wagon & make them make a speech. & away they would go around the fire. a dozen or more pulling & pushing at the wagon till they almost flew. then they would grab some one else didn't matter which end was up or how they got him in the wagon but he must make a speech. then they would take him a ride around the fire. I don't know when I have had so much fun. there was a good many there and every one said they had so much fun they wouldn't have missed it for anything. they had a bonfire at the Lodge Sat night & some said there was over $200 worth of hats burned. Oh they run it in the ground like some did betting of the election. One man in the Lodge bett everything he had & lost it. of there has been some awful bets made. but Dick says tell Will that he is well satisfied with the Election. the democrats snowed the Repub. Under on the Township election. Roby wanted to be Justice awful bad & he got left & it done him more good than to see Old Grover elected.

they have been gethering corn. have it about out. will have plenty to do us & some to spare. late is going to gether Mrs W corn for the forth. I got Wills card yesterday. was glad to hear from you. Sue brought it from the office. wolfs does act awful funny about sending that money. she has got clear out of patience with them & has wrote pretty saucy about it. I guess they act like they are afraid to send the money for fear she will keep the note. she sent it to Will Mc a week or more ago & registered it. I got a letter today from Pete & Tine (?). she wrote so good & told a good bit of news. she said that Elva Means had a boy baby born in 9 months after she was married. then she had a girl in 11 months after the boy. dont you think she might as well have twins. & she said Mag & Ike thot that the boy was so smart & Ike made a terrible fuss over it. I expect about like he used to make over Elva. She said Aunt Martilla enjoyed her visit with them so well & wanted to go & see you so bad but Peter was to busy to take them up.

I asked Aunt Lyd about her rout back there but she laughed & said she couldnt tell how she went to save her life. she said she didnt know whither she went thro Laredo or not but one place sounded like it. but she said if she did she didnt lay over at Galt. she knew she didn't get her trunk for 10 days after she got there. she wanted to stop off at Ellas but they wouldnt allow her to. Blanch is trying her best to wake up. the rest here got to bed all but D. he is reading. I tried to get him to write some to Will but I couldn't get him at it. he says tell him he thinks he will try the coal buisness this winter & see what he can do. he got a letter today from Maggie Bailey. she is going to get married the 19th of next month to a brakeman & the Kan & St Joe R.R. George Baileys wife has been sick for a long time. I expect it will fill in her arms yet. No we had not heard what they had done with Jim Norell & often talked about it. I think they was afraid of punishing him. what become of his wife. (Bear?) is going to leave now before long so he says & we all hope how soon. he has been kind enough to leave the hides on the people & thats about all. he had $45.20 charged against Less. $25.25 against Dick & $40 against Mrs W. we came off so much better then I expected that I feel relieved & said nothing to him while Sue gave him a piece of her mind. he was down here this morn telling what she said & said if she said any more he would give Madam a complete setting down & oh I dont know what all he did say. but not one of us made him a reply & he got up & left. Everybody hates him & them men at Isabel torments the life out of him. he sticks his old nose where he has no buisness at all & one old man told him to shut his mouth. I think Carrie is about right. you asked why we didn't tell him of his meaness. it wouldnt do any good but just cause him to get mad & rip around & no one can tongue lash with him. he can swear the wickedest of any body living & oh he looks actually fiendish when he gets mad.

Pa was in the store one day & some one got a Wichita daily of the news boy on the train & was reading the returns of the election & Doc stood there & was so mad. Pa said he looked savage. he has been over to Nashville several times this summer & fall & come back pretty full. Pa almost disspises him & you know that is uncommon for him. friday night. I will try & write some more & try & wind up & start it off tomorrow. The boys has gone to Bethel to a Literary. Pa is reading the Trenton papers we got today. Mabel has gone to bed & Blanch is sitting in the high chair by the table playing with Mabels blocks but is getting out of patience. she will be six months old Sun & weighs 21 lbs. she is a big fat white blue eyed doll baby. her hair will soon be long & thick so I can spare you a little bit for till just within the past few weeks she was bald headed. Mabel was 4 last Monday & weighs 41 lbs. she had talked all summer about her birthday so Mon morn she found a roll of hoarhound candy under her plate. then I set a nice cup & saucer full of coffee & asked her if she didn't want some coffee & she said no & as she spoke she saw what the cup & it surprised her so she looked almost ready to cry. I baked her a cake & roasted some peanuts for her. then Charlie come up & they played all day. but I would lots rather he had gone to school. for she cant stand it to play like he wants her to. & no matter how cold it is he will be out in spite of any body.

I will send you pieces like Mabels dress & aprons & skirt. she will have to be dressed warm this winter if I have to go cold. I have got her dress partly made & made her aprons with sleeves & mother hubbard behind & tied back with ties. Made them long so they will keep her dress clean. I got Blanch the cutest little light blue tobaggon with a ball on. everyone says she looks so cute & rogish in it. & I got her a cloak mother hubbard with a big collar. its all wool striped dark blue, white & black. its real pretty. I intended to get cloth & make her one but couldn't do it before quarterly meeting & do what all I had to do & I wouldnt save so very much after all so I thot I would rather pay $1.85 for it & not have the trouble making it & it would look nicer than l could make it. I didn't get not one thing for myself for the girls has to have it all now. Ollie puts so much work on Kays cloths. to much I think. but I bet she wont by the time she too or three. or wouldn't if she had to do for as many as I do. This has been a bright still day but not very warm. Dick & I done a despert big washing today & then I washed a comforter. the one Ma pieced for me.

I dont know how I would get thru with the washings if Dick was like Late. for he dont think he can turn his hand to help do anything. At while D rolls up his sleeves ties a dirty shirt around him & wades in. & the cloths comes out clean & white. & after supper he will wipe the dishes & Late sets back and smokes.

[The following was written on the back and front of a National Union Labor ticket.]

4) I will finish on some of these as they are light & wont be bulky for I find I aint near done yet. a train has come from the East & stoped at Isabel quite a while but has just not give the toot toot to go on. I am glad to hear of your town growing so rapidly. While ours is a perfect stand still & is liable to be I guess they hold the lots so high that anyone cant buy. they have never put an agent in the depot yet & have rented it to Joe Morris & they live there. it makes a nice place to live. I was in there the other night & they look as snug as a bug in a rug. the store has changed hands again from Waller & Tull to Murry & Gardner. I guess things is bettered a little if they done bust up at it like Waller did. You will have lots of places to call at when you go to Laredo & I expect you will move there yet. is Ellen going to live with her mother & will Annie leave Fred. what a way of doing. where is ellen & is her organ & things at your house yet. Ross & Blanch must make good use of the organ while its there. & has Japs moved yet. Oh how I wish I had a little home to go to like that in Mo. good dear old Mo. I look back in my imagination & see all of it beauties like the grand old timber & the glorious fruit trees.

Oh Helen you dont know how much I wish I could see you. I could tell you things I cant write & you wouldnt wonder at me longing for a little home to go to. I often think of you in your home with your dear children liveing so happy. I tell you Helen one roof was never intended for too familys. & I think things goes a little to one sided here. Dick & I have endured it this long but I cant say how much longer we can. I often wonder if you was put in my place if you could live here as I do & not say anything or worry. we have kept piece in the family all the same tho but I think pretty hardsome times. I tell you Helen it would do me good to have Pa sell out. then he could live with all of us. I am not complaining so much about him for he does his part & well I wont say anything more for it wont interrest you & only cause you to think hard of me & think I am foolish. but I dont think it worry Pa because I worry about liveing here. when I say anything he will just laugh & say well get out go now why dont you. I guess to tell the truth he aint stuck as bad on Kans as he once was but he dont say much. he said once this summer he expected him & Less made a mistake when they come here instead of going to Neb. Les Winfield likes it here he said we couldnt whip him out of Kans. Pa told him he would sell him his farm. No sir I wouldnt buy it not for a million. No sir you must keep your farm he always held a dislike for Barber Co he said till he was here & he had changed his mind.

5) the night he got there Leu had dug an awful big sweet potato. the biggest she said she ever saw & cooked it for supper. they all eat all they wanted of it & then there was nearly half of it left. he said he did wish she hadnt cooked it. he would have give her a $10 bill for it & he would took it home & carved on it where it was raised & put it on his center table for an ornament. he said they couldnt raise sweet potatoes up where they live. Less give him a bucket full to take home with him. Charlie Websters neighbor said that he thot Charlies would no farm any more in Kans & he rather that they would go to thier farm in Mo. I have been expecting to see them drive up here every Sat but still they dont come. Mrs. Williams was comeing over to stay all night before she moved but she didnt get time so she is comeing over on the train tomorrow & then go back Sun. she hasnt got all her things moved yet so George Sellars is going to take them over for her Sun & she will go back with him. she got her new dress made & it looks real nice. it is what they use to call the chintz calico. she had blk velvet cuffs & collar. well it has all clouded over & looks like snow. the boys has come back & said there was quite a crowd out & they had a jolly time. the men has got a good long warm shed 50 feet long made for the cattle. Pa got the roof off of Sherwoods dug out to cover it. well well I am so sleepy I cant see strait. we had [not?] put our heater yet because we are going to move the cook stove in there & live as much as we can by one fire & save fuel. I dont know how it will strike us all for Pa wont object but still I can see he aint much in favor but says we can try it. well I will write a little in the morn. tell how the weather is so I will turn in for tonight. Goodnight. the flannels & gingham is Mabels. its red & grey. is hefty. the shirting is D. & the blue is part torn away] & navy blue mine. & its just [paper torn]

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it is cloudy this morn. wind in the north east & real cold for this time of year in sunny Kans & has been spitting snow. looks like it was getting ready for a big snow. I have got a big kettle of pumpkin on to stew my pies. have got 6 or 8 in the cellar that I want to make butter of. have put it off just as long as I could so I would be sure of it keeping. the boys are shelling corn on the sheller & Mabel beged so hard to go out & see them awhile that I bundled her up & she went out a skipping. she has such a cold I have to scold all the time to keep her in the house.

Eva Williams is back here again this morn. she has a good place to go & work at but is just loafing around from place to place. I guess she is after Late for she is awful fast. she tells such awful yarns. I dont like her & John is a chip off the old Henry. he wrote a letter to Annie & said he was coming back to see them all & then go to Mo. & wanted Mrs. W. to live with him again but she says she wouldnt trust herself 2 rod with him. he is in Washington Territory. & some of the folks from here has gone there & I think he has heard about Miner going there to see her. Oh dear Helen. I have wrote so much & still I could write but what good does it all do after I get it all wrote nothing of it after all. I cant put a lot of news on a sheet of paper like you can. I have got a big ironing to do & must quit. guess I will set Eva to work. Well. Will can you sing the song of good bye old Grover good bye . have heard the chorus of it. I wonder how it will suit them to live private life & I expect he wishes he had his $16,000 of campaign money now since he is defeated. The National Bank in the Lodge or the men rather & Republicans at that bet $2,000 on Clevelands election. old Judge Ellis there won 2 quarters of land on H. besides a lot of money to. seems the men run wild. did you bet your farm. Well I will quit & start this to the office. our clock has froze up & wont run & I cant tell what time it is. You wanted me to tell you more about Aunt Lyds visit [to Ohio]. Well I cant for I dont know much about it myself. she has told a good bit but she talks so fast & so much I cant keep track of any of it. but she said Aunt Lib stood her & Aunt Mag in the shade dressing & putting on style. Aunt Lib is in Tenn at Uncle Eli's now. Mabel send this card to Blanch. I will sent it there. aint to much already. Goodbye. write soon & tell all the news & kiss & hug & eat apples & drink cider & crack nuts for me. I know R & B will.