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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