Transcription
At [Eugene’s] Brooklyn
Wednesday morning Feb 12. 1840
My dear Sarah
I mean to have dropped you a few lines yesterday / but was so much engaged that it slipped my memory until just / as I am [crofsing?] in the evening _ the [subject] in writing is to say that / both your Uncle and I are a little anxious that our ice house should / be completely filled, and we fear that if it is not attended to / immediately we shall not have a supply, for we cannot expect / much more very cold weather _ I spoke to Hugh about getting from / Mr [Sheldon], but he said that [Mr. ?] wished to have his ice filled / first; this he supposed was done a week since _ Your Uncle wishes / Hugh to attend to it at once _ if he cannot get ice from Mr [S’s] pond / he may from Mr Hamilton’s _ Mr. Jones told me that Mr Hamilton / had offered him ice from his pond _ which Mr J. says is back in Mr H’s / woods. Hugh was to ask Mr [Bro-?-is?] whether your cousin Eliza’s / ice house was filled _ I understood you [??] to say that Mr [Bay-??-lis?] / had offered to see it filled and that it would not cost over ten / dollars _ I find that I misunderstood your Uncle _ Mr [Barley?] exprefsed / an opinion as to the probable cost but did not ingage to attend to it. /
If nothing has been done for Eliza, tell HIgh to make an arrangement / immediately with some proper person to procure the ice and fill the / house, making a specific bargain _ and that the ice he good and the house well and properly filled. Mr [Baylis?] may perhaps put him In the / way to find a proper person _ High told me that the / fowls that have been caged were losing their feathers which he thought / might be owing to the confinement _ this may be one cause, and pofsibly / a want of proper ventilation may be another _ Your Uncle wishes / you to say to Hugh that it will be well to let them out [^ and feed them regularly;] a little
[END OF PAGE 1]
fresh air exercise may be of service to them.
I had a very comfortable drive down with Mr Jones on Monday / we got to the Rail Road between twelve and one, and tool the cars / at one, reaching the City Hall just before two O’clock _ the roads / are better than I expected to find them _ though wet and muddy, / yet they had not thawed sufficiently to make the mud deep
[Neither] your Uncle or I can say whether we shall be / up this week . but if a [cheap] [chance] offers I may [??-an] it _ I have / none in [view?] however at present _
The affair that Sanders wrote about is of course / a [talk] - nor is the vase affair the only one in which the Lady has been / Engaged _ it seems that she had taken in other instances without [??], but / the vase led to detection _ She disposed of her plunder to a Manufacturer / under one pretence or other, she bought the articles honestly. After he had / purchased the vase and melted it, he saw an advertisement stating that / lofs and went immediately to inform the [??], but not knowing the / person he purchased from, could [give] [no] due to her _ he said [however] / her [??] probably have a [??] before long _ it so happened / that the Lady called to dispose of a Diamond ring, when he [dogged] her / [h-??]. I should hardly think that the woman could be in / her right senses; and yet hear that her husband will not allow / that she is demented _
I [think] I left writing to [added] the [??-ing] / [soon[ “more last words” and your Uncle took the opportunity to write on the next page /
You see that he wishes and urges the attendance of some you at the “ball costumé”; / costumé de riguer and it may be as well to gratify him _ We think that the / cost of a drefs need be but little, as neither would wish to attract attention by / making a [dash]. [Mrs. Jones’s] [in–e?] would afford the greatest [convenience?] being [near] the / place and having a carriage _ A visit could be made to her first, and then to your / Aunt [Abby’s] _ I think that I shall take tea in Chambers Street this ev’ing and may [-ent?] it / - but your Uncle will probably be up about the last of the week as he is anxious to get back - he / has a matter in hand that may detain him. My true love to “all bodies”
Eb. I
[END OF PAGE 2]
[UPPER LEFT OF PAGE TORN AWAY]
My dear Girls,
I should like some of you to be at Mrs. Brevoorts ball / As I said before, I will ladly defray any expense it may require, / either for drefses for the ball, or drefses for town. If you do not / choose to accept Mrs Jones Kind invitation you can come make / your visit to crossed out Chamber Street a little earlier; though / I should think, the former would be pleasant. A Young / lady owes something to her position in society, and an appearance once in a while on an occasion of the / kind serves to keep her in her place.
In casting my eye accidentally and unintentionally / on the other page I observe your Uncles has related some - / thing about the affair of Mrs March _ I have not a doubt that the poor woman has been for a considerable time, / affected with a species of monomania _ [her?] intellects / are in no respect strong, and every thing I have seen or heard / concerning her persuades me that she has had a / singular [stroke?] of insanity thought her [page torn - nd?.] I have / heard in my time of other cases of this kind.
With love to [Aunt Paris]
Your affectionate Uncle
W[?]
[END OF PAGE 3]
[ADDRESS]
Mifs Sarah Irving
Care of Washington Irving Esq.
Tarrytown
Westchester County
N.Y.
In [??] of
[?.?] Irving EsqTranscriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
