Sunday Oct
My dearest sister, I have just got fairly warm
after going to Church this cold morning. I received
your letter Friday am glad to hear you are getting
along comfortably with housekeeping. Where were you
when we went to see the Siamese twins some years
ago I believe you must have been at home sick I
think it was the summer you had the measles.
I am glad you have had an oppurtunity of seeing them
they were in Albany 2 years this summer when Weed
became well acquainted with and warmly attached to
them. Freddy thinks he would like very much to have
an opportunity to see them. Monday being very fine
we went to called on Mrs Dr Mosier. They are living
in a in a very small, inconvenient, unfinished, house nearly
opposite Mr Compston's. Mrs Mosier is a plain sensible
agreeable woman, we were pleased with her. They are
soon to move to the house Mrs Youngs formerly occupied[ . ]
I promised Eliza Burnham and Aunt Lizzy when they
were here that I would go there. We also called
at Mrs Cheadell's Mrs Richardsons Compstons and
Mrs Capt Wardens – you know that perhaps they live
on William Street I mean Court Street. Mrs Warden
says her health is better than it has been in many
years. Angeline was from home – Mary is a very singular
child very precocious certainly, but withall there
is something strangely unnatural in her manners and

conversation – I supose her friends do not perceive it. Anna Richardson has grown to be a very pretty agreeable young
lady more animated and interesting than Catherine.
Catherine was from home. William Beardsley is an accepted
suitor of hers with I suppose the approbation of all the
friends of each – but someone must be opposed, I wonder
who it is. I have not seen Nelson's wife since I
was there some weeks ago. At Mrs Compstons we met
Mrs Hotchkiss and Olivia Stockden. Olivia has altered
very much as I suppose we all have in 8 or 9 years[ . ]
Caroline invited us in to her house where we found
Mrs Taylor and Mrs Muir, they had been expecting
Almira, when all the suitors would have been
assembled but poor Maria who is confined at home
with a dislocated ancle. Mrs Taylor is less altered
than Mrs Stockden has a family of 8 childeren and
has returned again to Salina to live. Stockden is
christianizing the people in Orange county he is settled
a few miles from Goshen. We came home some time
after five found Catherine dressing to go out to spend
the evening without making any preparations for tea.
She said she did not expect us home this long time.
I asked her how she thought the other members of
the family were to get tea – but this was an idea
which had never occurred to her. Maria who I
think sometimes is perfectly graceful had played the
whole afternoon had not even taken off the frock which
she had made starch to wash and the few things
she had washed were lying about some on the table some
on the grass. I concluded for the future to stay at home
on Mondays and keep the machinery in operation.

Among other things Catherine had employed her afternoon in
playing with an Irish pedlar who had employed himself
in examining the contents of our closets &c. I expected
him back that night to make a selection of the
most valuable portable articles which he discovered[ . ]
After Monday it rained all the week until Friday when
I went to do some shopping and spent the remainder
of the afternoon in transplanting and setting out
shrubbery – we had some new the day before from Albany.
Yesterday morning cold as it was we completed this
undertaking – after dinner Henry went to Springport
to attend a political meeting from whence he has just
returned – he says the roads are very bad – he purposes
leaving here a week from Monday or Tuesday to go West[ . ]
I have all along intended to accompany him but the
prospect of dragging over the mud 24 hours is rather
discouraging – unless there is some favorable change
in the weather I think I will defer my visit until
sleighing. I shall certainly come some time this winter
if we are are all well. I cannot bear to have Henry go away
again to stay so long – the season of the year [ recals ] so many
melancholy recollections that I am quite childish about it.
Is there not some article of dress that you wish me to get
for you and send by him – have you read the IV of Pick Wick we have it – do you want it? – you must answer
all these interrogations soon for it seems to me
your letter are three or four days on the road.
Tell Frances that Augustus has just gone in pursuit of the
little black kitten which Maria conveyed to Mr McLallen's
shop early this morning – the kitten is very troublesome about
house (I do not think we shall have any other kind) but it was

very unfeeling in Maria to leave it in a cold cellar without anything
to eat – and the kitten has always slept in bed with her too.
All send love – your own Sister Frances. Has Frances a fur tippet?
Mrs Alvah Worden
Canandaigua
AUBURN OCT 30 N.Y.