Isabel Kans
Sunday night   Jan 13th 1889

My dear Sister & family

your good letter come to us Friday & I must confess it was quite unexpected for I supposed you would think I ought to wait as long as you did. However I was ready to receive it & set right down with the family group around me. I am sorry to cause Will to ride to the office so often & then be disappointed he ought to got a letter every trip. but I wont make you wait so long this time if I can help it. We was glad to hear you was all well or rather not dangerous hope the children colds are well by this time. We are all well except Blanch still has her cold. it seems she cant get rid of it. I am just as careful as I can be of her but she takes cold right in the house. I have not had the toothache since the last time & have got over my cold so I feel a right smeart better.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Library of Congress

Pa is well now. Helen, its a fact, & he says if he was up to your house he could saw quite a wood pile. he looks about as well in the face as he did before he got to feeling so bad. he went back to see the Dr on New Years day as he requested him in too weeks from the time we was all over there that day. & he told him that if he had not done somethin for himself that his sickness would after while run into one of three things & that was either Heart disease or dropsy or kidney disease. he could not tell which it could have been but it would of been one of three. he gave him a bottle of medicine & told him by the time he took that he would be alright & he need not take it all if he felt well. he takes it too or three times during the day & does not complain of anything but his feet is so sore now he can hardly walk. he soaked his feet & they have been worse ever since. he dont do a great deal walking around for there is not much work to do & the boys does that. he is deeply interested in the book of Uncle Toms Cabin & will sit & read for hours. I sometimes think he hurrys with his eating to get to reading again. he says that its always when he stops reading for a while right at a place were he is anxious to go on & see just a little farther & so on.

they are all at church tonight & left the girls and I alone & they are both asleep. so I have everything still with the exception of the clock ticking. we are have quite a change of weather in the last too days. friday the wind was in the south East & was awful chilly in the morning but grew warmer during the day & in the evening it looked some like rain but didn’t. & yesterday morning the wind was in the north & was awful cold & during the day it clouded over & looked like snow & when we got up this morn it was sorter hazy misty foggy & cold & has been so all day. everything is covered with frost or something like it. I dont know whither I can give you a full account of weather & things since I last wrote or not but will try. I think I sent my last letter off the friday after Christmas.

Well the boys went to the Legislature that night at the School house & I ironed & Pa read & I got done & Pa went to bed but I set up till after 10 but they did not come so I went to bed & was sleeping so good & they come & Laura Brown with them. she had come up to Robys the day before & come to the school house with them & come home with the boys. the next morning it snowed like all rip for awhile & when it stoped she went down to Leses but come back at night. & that night it rained some for awhile but turned to snowing & in the morning there was quite a snow lay on the ground. the men thot about 2 inches but was warm & after while the sun shone & took very near all off & made lots of water which the ground needed badly. Late took Laura home it was so warm & the chickens crowed & cackled till it seemed like spring. but that night the wind got in the north & the next morning was cold & the ground frozen somewhat.

Dick took me down to Toms & Liss cut & fit my dress & that night I thot as it was New Years Eve I would go to the Litterary at Bethel. so I went but there was to many dances going on. there wasnt many out but they had lots of fun & kept things going as long as they could & after the Litterary was over some thot they would have a spelling school & watch meeting several staid but I thot that was too much sugar for a cent to stay out with the babies that late so we come home & went to bed. & when we woke up there had been a death of the old year & birth of the New Year. dick went down to help Tom kill a beef. Pa went to Nashville & Late puttered around here & there. well it was just the warmest loveliest day but got a little hazy just before the Eclipse come on but not so much so but we could see it plain. I was making some twisters when it come on. there was just a little corner on when the sun went down. Pa came home when it was the darkest & we asked him if he had noticed it & he said no he had not thot of that but had drove pretty fast for he thot it was almost night. it cast long shadows & the chickens all acted so funny flocked up around the chicken house door & looked around & acted like they hated to go in but that it was so near night they would have to. The sun looked about like a new moon. the Eclipse on the moon last summer was more of a sight to me then on the Sun.

Well the next Friday night our preacher commenced protracted meeting at Bethel & Sat night Frank, Nell & Laura come up to go to church Sunday. Dick kept Blanch & let me go & the girls went home with Robys & Frank staid here with dick. Monday Liss & Tom was here. & tuesday the wind blew hard from the north but Wed was still bright but cool & about three o clock here come Uncle Jim & Aunt Lyd & Bird. Uncle Jim went back & they staid til yesterday morn. she went to Ollies & staid thurs night & spent the most of the day friday at Leses & back here at night. & before she got away yesterday morn Joe Morris come down & brought an Evangelist minister with him & he has been here ever since. he preached today at 11 & tonight & now he is back to stay all night & I have found out by thier talk that he is going to protract the meeting. Our preacher closed his meeting tuesday night. he took a heavy cold & was sick he had been haveing meetings for seven weeks & was sore out so this one has come in. his name is Parlmer. he is a single man some gray & looks in the face like he might be 50 years old. but he is real common & dont want to be in the way. grabed the coffee mill & ground the coffee for me & says he likes light bread.

well I thot when it rained it poured especily the Browns it seems they have taken a _______ lately for the flats as they call it up here. I had cut my calico dress & got it fit & then broke my needle to the machine & laid it away & since then I got some more & when Aunt Lyd came she finished my dress so I have that off my mind. Liss made my dress & brought it home yesterday & I am just too proud of it. she made it basque with folds down in front . the skirt is made with lineing & little narrow box pleating on the lineing & the cloth part swings free from lineing & hemmed. a short over skirt in front & drapery looped behind. she made it neat & nice & fits me perfect & only charged me $1.50. the full dress making & all cost me $7.06. I scolded dick for getting it for it seems we cant afford it but he thinks I deserve it & will get the worth of the money out of it. I am prouder of it than I was my wedding dress. I must quit for now good night