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of the one so sacredly dear : that eyes & lips, instead
of pens, might tell their tale of love : Oh! Bettie
dearest, sweetest Sister, your Pet loves you with
all the intense devotion of her nature & I
would that I were fairy enough to peek
into your heart & find my place there :
The last Autumn month is rapidly passing
away & Winter will soon be on us in earnest :
I love it least of all the seasons & find it hard
to prevent a gloomy state of feeling from show-
ing itself then : in Spring, all nature murmurs
God is good & somehow, I am then more
submissive in spirit, but oh! darling Bettie
when the home-circle gathers round the first
autumn fires, 'tis then I feel most keenly the
void caused by the absence of the brightest gem
that ever shone there & the yearning agony is al-
most more than my mortal strength can bear;
I strive earnestly tho to be cheerful for the
sake of the loved ones left me, & I generally suc-
ceed : everything in the dear old homestead re-
minds me of my loss & 'tis a continual struggle to
act in opposition to my feelings : We may, probably