Transcription
My Dear Kitty
I was much gratified / upon coming home from my office / the day before yesterday to find / letters from you and your Grand - / father, and pleased to find so / much improvement in your hand / writing. Your good Aunts must / have given much care to you / the last winter, and I Know you / have been good and merited their / kindnefs. It makes me happy and / partially contented to have you / away from [^ me] when I hear such / good accounts of you as Grandfather / sends me.
You wish to Know what day / of this month will be your birth /
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day, as you wish to give a little / tea party and exhibit the pretty / china set that cousin Helen gave / you. Why! dear Kitty, you must / have been quite overwhelmed at / Christmas, between Kind friends / and Santa Claus _ Work boxes, Work / baskets, Tea Sets, Dolls, P-[eter?] Puzzlemi-[??]-s / +c +c I think you must have been / puzzled to Know what to do with / them all. Sunny Side could scarcely / hold them. Xxxx Well, this is not / telling you the important fact when / is your birth day _ You will just / have time to give out your invitations / and make preparation for the cele= / bration of the day, which is the 20th / of this month, when you will be nine years old _ quite verging / on to a “Young Lady”.
I am glad your Aunt Kate / has undertaken to teach you upon / the Piano, and very grateful to /
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Her am I for her Kindnefs. You / must be very patient and per-?xxx / attentive to her instructions. I hope / you will grow up as fond of music / as I am. Many hours I amuse myself / upon Mrs. Peytons Piano, and now / can play many times quite well. I / have always been sorry I did not / take lefsons upon it when young, but / it was not the fashion in those days / for gentlemen to play, except upon the / flute and violin.
Mary Peyton still takes lefsons from / that frightful Mifs Hainee, who / attempted to teach you, but who / scared you so, you learned but little. / Mary has grown quite a large girl / and romps more than ever when / away from the eyes of her Grandmother. / She still goes to Mrs Combs school.
I heard from Willie about three / weeks ago when he was well and / contented. I shall, however,
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Send for him as soon as I can/ learn of an opportunity to have / him brought on. I wrote to Theo: / Jencks a week ago, and told him / to have him sent to New York . from whence I can find, perhaps, some New York member coming / on who will take care of him for me.
Tell Grandfather I was much gratified / with the news of the family in his letter. / and that I will write him in a day or / two, that I am hard at work in my / new office, that I am much pleased / with it _ and am more contented / than I have been since I have been in Washington, and that there is / not much chance of being disturbed / by a change of Administration, some / now in the office having been in it for / twenty and thirty years. I have a good / walk to the office and back. ) beyond / the Presidents House, upon the same / square, it is however good for my health. / You must remember the music we used / to have in the Presidents grounds, so you can /
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Tell how far / I have to walk. / Mrs Peyton sends / her love to you. / [?] [??] a great / deal [be K-??]
good by / my dear Kitt
I am aff
Wm. IrvingTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
