Wichita 19th March 1885
My dearest Mother, I was so glad to get your letter
from Belfast. I am quite sure you enjoyed yourselves
there. I was interested in all the news of our friends
how nice & good Mr [Tucker?] always is - I imagined
Alice was more amiable than you describe - I am
sure Charlotte has a very nice house - but I don't envy
her her husband - I fully expected he would turn out
as you say. I knew about the expected baby. It will
indeed be a comfort to her, & may improve him very
much too - I am sure your new things are pretty &
tasteful - It vexes me to think I can't see them all.
I am really afraid that poor Mr. Carroll is slightly
"gone". The "store" being purely out of the "stores of his
mind" - The only lines of (possible) business ever [........?]
by him & H. were Commission business & perhaps tea
but all H's letters to him have been telling him to stay
where he is, discouraging his coming out here - However
it seems all in vain - In each letter he has said he was
"fully determined to come out" - In fact he had "gone
so far as to close with some of his houses" - The very
words he had used to us in Dublin last summer - We had
a pleasant letter from him a few days ago, repeating
the same thing! His affairs seem to be in a chronic
state of crisis, (if such a thing were possible) - He has
almost made up his mind "to come at once" - but whether
to come here, stay at Kansas City, go to Vineland [?] or
to some other place he does not seem to "quite" know -
& yet he seems perfectly happy & contented in this
miserable " almost persuaded" condition! and I fear
"Go back, go back, we cry in vain, across the stormy water"-
I feel very glad that you had something settled & pleasant
to say about us to our Belfast friends - You see I think
of all these little things for you - I did get Billo's letter
written from Rostrevor - I mean to write to him soon
Poor dear 'Gem' I do hope the next trial of school
will be more successful - I teach V. & D. every
day & they are getting in well - both learn with
great ease - it is of course a task to me, but it
must be done. & the accounts of the doings at
school were so dreadful we could not think of
letting her go any longer - I have been very
busy at a job of sewing - & am just going to
begin another - to make some navy blue cabin [?]
dresses for V. also some sunbonnets of the same
both are an absolute necessity for the hot waether
I do hope James may like the new school -
The Mrs. Berry you mention must be Jane Wilson
a perfectly horrible girl - I met her at Mrs. Byers'
I had a note from Annie Thomas but did
not answer it, & don't think I will - We did
not admire her when she was with us at
Portadown - I wrote to Mrs Harnett & Affie
Scanlan the other day, & must write soom to
Mr. Learanche & Mr. Baronsfeather.
All goes on well at the office - I don't see
Henry all day till evening. I find it lonely, but
I get a good deal more work done than
before. Margaret sometimes satisfactory
sometimes very careless - I am sure we
shan't keep her very long - she also has
sweethearts! We have had lovely warm
weather for a fortnight - but suddenly
the day before yesterday a change came,
for two days snow, & blizzard! fearfully
cold - children had to stay in the house; today
almost too hot again - such a changeable
climate! I believe the trees will be green
in about a month - & already "over our
heads are the maple-buds". They are
very pretty like tiny coral-pink flowers,
no leaves to be seen yet - I seldom see the
Smyths, they have all had colds &c -
We are very tired of Smithson. he is really
no trouble & a very "good young man" - but it
spoils ones evenings dreadfully to have a
stranger to whom one must keep talking
& who really has very little mind, & can't
talk of anything beyond rigmaroles of stories
about people we don't know or care
about - He is a regular colloquer [?] - that is
given to "colloque" & "cosher" (such splendidly
expressive words!) He coshers & colloques
& shakes his head & tells us things in
confidence about unknown beings, living
Heaven knows where - till we are ready to
drop asleep - & if we attempt to read aloud
from some nice good book he drops asleep!
Which Mr. Ross is going to the War? We are much
interested in the newspapers - I sent you some
lately - (papers I mean) It was so good of
you to write to me from Belfast, & I
enjoyed hearing all the news - Oh!
how I long to be with you all at home
sitting by the fire warming my feet (which are
cold this minute) & talking over everything!
So much for you to tell, so much for me
to tell - Well! It will be "some day"
now darling mother & beloved ones All
I must close for this evening - It is
after 5 o'clock ( 11 at night with you -
all in bed, or going) I must get the 4 in
& wash & dress them all for tea -
God bless & keep you all -
Your own fond child
Minnie
