Sunday afternoon —
My dear Sister,
I intended to have written some time in
the course of last week but have not found any time
Willie is much better but my sojourn at Rochester
and Canandaigua has so spoiled him that he is not
satisfied to be left to the care of any other person
For the last three days Willie has rapidly improved
his eyes are better even than they were at Canandaigua
they are beautiful little eyes and I often wish his
Aunty could see them — I have left off all the
appliances prescribed by Dr Munn except the
morphine wash, very much diluted, — give
no medicine but homeopathy — this course
I shall continue as long as he improves —
he goes into the garden once or twice every day but
keeps his eyes so closely covered that it affords
him very little pleasure. I shudder now when
I think of the effect of the quinine upon his delicate
frame — it was that undoubtedly which produced the

bleeding of the nose by its effect upon the circulation —
How dreadful it would have been had he been seized with
convulsions while we were in the cars — Henry came
home Tuesday night having been sick the whole time
he was in Albany, at Weeds, under the care of Dr
Williams, salts and magnesia etc — He saw
no one, returned as soon as he was able — I have
not heard him say any thing about going to New York —
Wordens papers were sent him by Pomeroy’s express the
day after I came home — Henry is not in the house now
or I would make some enquiry about them —
Mr and Mrs Seward occupy the South Chamber and bed
room — having a bed apiece, with one for Julia —
coffee three times a day &c — They propose remaining
here all summer — a pleasing prospect — I hope Clara
will go away somewhere, I cannot bear to have her
all the time in the kitchen — Harriet and Nicholas
went to Cayuga last Tuesday and Thursday morning
departed for Albany — Friday a disagreeable irish
girl came into the kitchen and we are at present in
as uncleanly a state as you can well imagine —

Nicholas has a situation on board of the s new steam
boat “Empire” — has hired a house in S. Pearl street —
Maria was here yesterday — she enquired about Elsie — I told
her I did not think she would leave you this summer
We have done nothing about cleaning house — indeed
I see no opportunity — at present I am engaged in preparing
Augustus clothes — Willie requires some one to pay him
constant attention or his head will p be down on the sofa
immediately he is left alone — Fred goes to school again
tomorrow — he is at present looking very sorry because
all of his little fish are dead — Henry keeps John
very busy in the garden — he brought a quantity of seeds
from Albany — has set out innumerable trees but the
place looks new and very unlike its former appearance
the stumps which are left standing having the effect to disfigure
instead of beautify — I have been too constantly in attendance
upon Willie to see any one who has called except Mrs Miller
& Mrs Lucas and happily the people here are more merciful
than in Canandaigua — Mrs Elliot, King’s mother-in-law
died recently with erysipelas — I have read nothing since
I returned not even the newspapers — The boys send love —
your own sister
Frances —

Mrs Alvah Worden
Canandaigua
AUBURN N.Y.
May 8