Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER HF 3037 E
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE
AUTHOR Julia Hoffman
RECIPIENT Emma Nicholas
MEDIUM Paper, ink
Philadelphia Jan 6th 1832/
A happy new year to my dear Emma may/ Heaven grant you all the blessings which we can enjoy in this life./
Though not quite so punctual in answering your letter as I was the/ last time, I do not intend to fall into my old habits, I am obliged/ to write so many letters while I am here, that when I go home again I shall/ certainly have become so accustomed to it, that it will no longer be any/ trouble to me, and if I cannot equal your friend Eliza as a conversationalist/ I am determined you shall not have to scold me any longer./
Science I wrote to you I have received a long letter from Matilda and/ answered it, she gives me a beautiful picture of her fire side, how delightful/ it is to think of her happiness my most ardent wish is to see it, I often think/ of the beautiful plan we arranged for next summer, it is a long time to look/ forward but still I hope, almost believe we will be able to put it into/ execution, the only drawback to Matilda’s happiness seems to be her separation/ from you and your mother, but when she has so much else to make her/ happy she cannot whine at that, and she can hear from you constantly/ and anticipated the pleasure of seeing you before a very great while. Mr/ Whitman and I send each other messages in Matilda’s letters and I expect/ we will become quite well acquainted with each other before we meet/ I feel as if I had seen him [now], and I am sure I should know him if/ I should ever see him. Matilda does not say a word going to/ pay a visit to her husband's relations I suppose of course she does not/ think of doing so this winter, she tells me she has been sick but it is now quite/ well, I hope nothing serious was the matter with her./
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You see I am still in Philadelphia and here I shall be until the/ rivers open for the traveling is so bad now that I do not feel disposed to/ [venture], I have passed my time very pleasantly here but I begin to think/ I should like to be at home again and shall be glad when the time/ comes for me to go, I thought it would be impossible for me to say all/ winter and said no until I found I could not help myself I am always/ ready to leave home and always ready to return to it again./
I am grieved dear Em that you do not like Charlestown better, I hope/ by this time that you have made some agreeable acquaintances who may/ in time become friends, and that you are better pleased with it, how is your/ mother’s situation as to money matters? as good as she expected and how/ do you like the young girls who are in the house with you? of whom your/ mother gave you an account of in one of her letters. You see I still plague/ you with questions. I want to know all and everything about you/ tell me too how you like your school and what you learn have/ you begun drawing yet? I am sorry that you have been sick you ought/ if possible to take exercise every day and make your mother go with you/ I am sure it would be good for both. You say you suffer so much from/ the cold don’t you have a fire in your room you have both been so accus-/tomed to it, it must be very bad for your health to be without it./
I wrote to scold the boys for not writing you and I suppose they/ have apologized for themselves before this, it is almost a fortnight since/ they have written to me, thought they have behaved themselves quite well/ since I have been here. Charles sent me a beautiful Boa for a New Year/ present, you remember a fun cape was what I wanted when you were in/ town, a Boa is still more useful to me than a cape for I can wear it/ with my cloak, and it keeps me as warm as possible. My only I go out / in the coldest weather, my only difficulty is the slippery walking I have/ been down once flat, and expect to perform the same feat again frequent/ly before they winter is over. Dinner is coming up so I must stop/
My best love to your mother, Miss Gratz sends love to your mother/ and you./
Ever your attached/
Julia Hoffman/
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[Address]
5th/
Miss Emma Nicholas/
Care of Mrs Nicholas/
Charlestown/
Massachusetts/
[END OF LETTER]
