come. I get lots of aigs up on the ha when it arnt rainin I got four
yesterda and sukt 2 and took 2 to mother the 2 I sukt was elegant but
one of mothers had a litel chiking in it.

"Thee you hav to come heer on the ralerode farther brot me but yore
farther needent bring you there arnt no plais for him to sleep but you
can sleep with me theres a boy sels candy in the cars and theres penuts
on a stand in the deepoe 5 sents gits a pocketful the candy is nasty but
its in purty boxes its ten sents theres a old wommen keeps the penut
stand but shes got a litel gurl and the gurl gives you most for 5 sents
don't let the old wommen wate on you but just ask the prise and then sa
sis give us 5 sents worth shes awful spry wen you git the penuts just
come out of the big dore of the deepoe and keep strait down the rode til
you come to our house you can tel it by the 4 cats if they arnt under
the barn but you can ask somebody ware farther lives his name is Mister
Gillander but these fools that lives about hear cal him Mr. Glander.

"Thee do come dinners reddy

"Yores afectionate DICK GILLANDER"

My son's letter, or rather the first draft of it, is not much more
artistic in appearance than the foregoing. He is evidently in the same
class in orthography with his friend, Master Gillander, and I do not
doubt that, under careful culture, he may emulate the various virtues of
his friend, and become, in time, an accomplished "aig" sucker. Here is
his letter in the original:--

"DEER FARTHER:--As this is the da fur composition doctur STUFFEM sed I
mite rite you a leter for my composition and I rite these fu lines to
let you no that I am wel, but one of the boys is my roomait and is gone
home sick but he is beter and has got a good doctur and be wants me to
come down to his howse pleas sir send me a dolar it is on a ralerode and
the fair is fourty 5 sents. I can go Satterda and come back Mundy and
there is a meetin house clost by dicks howse and they go to meetin in a
carrige and dick drives

"Yores respectful

"THEOPHILUS"

The third epistle was written on a clean sheet, the date being in the
middle of the first page, and the entire production bearing the marks of
herculean effort. I infer that this final letter was a "corrected,
proof," and had to pass a severe examination. Probably, this was the
only one intended for my eye, and I cannot account for the arrival of
the three documents, except upon the hypothesis that my boy heedle