Poughkeepsie
Nov 17- 1865.
My dear Mother
I have been waiting for a reply to my last letter but
have concluded to wait no longer. I was very glad to get your letter
and was glad it was so long. I think it is very fortunate the plastering
and paint does not dry sooner for you will not have so good an oppor-
tunity to make yourself sick. I am glad on two accounts that Henry
is going sooner to Norfolk. One is that you will have some help sooner
and another that I shall see Henry sooner. Write to me in your next
when he is coming. There are about fifteen or more girls in school
who live in New York or Brooklyn and my roommate is going so I am
certain of having plenty of company. I shall have two weeks vacation
at Christmas perhaps three so I shall have a good time in New York.
There will be no trouble about keeping the apples from freezing or
being eaten by others. They say apples are sixteen dollars a bushel
in Poughkeepsie, are they high in Brockport?
Mr Helmer has been here and wished to be remembered to me
Emma said. The restriction on our correspondence is taken away now
and we can write to whom we please.
Your description of the house is very discouraging. It seems just
as it did before I left - still I would like to see whether you are hurting
yourself with work. Henry is coming to see me is he not when he goes
to Norfolk?
We have had our Indian summer for the last few days and I have
spent a few hours outdoors every day walking about and studying W e
have the most magnificent sunsets here I ever saw or imagined. They
are actually beyond description and we have so many of them too. I
believe this locality 1s famous for its sunsets and sunrises. Dr. Raymond
our principal is a very fine reader and reads Shakespeare so that father
would enjoy it I am sure. I hope they will have a reading claas. Last
Sunday Dr Magoon from Albany preached here. I enjoyed his sermon
very much. He is a very original man, they say, and says very odd things.
He was the one of whom they bought the Art gallery. He collected the
most of it himself In Europe and many of the pictures have very interest-
ing histories and are very valuable indeed. He has a neice here at school,
she is in my German class. I do like Prof Tenney the professor of Nat History
so much. We have splendid advantages for studying Geology and visit the
cabinet once a week in groups of ten at a time so we have a good chance
to learn to know the different rocks and minerals. They have quite a
collection of stuffed animals and shells too. James has not written to me
in more than two weeks When he comes home I wish you would give him
a scolding on the subject. Give my love to father and Henry and James
Write soon to your affectionate
daughter Ella.