Sunday afternoon
My dear Sister,
Sunday has come again without any
material alteration in our family — no rain has come
yet to moisten the earth — the new trees and shrubs
hang their heads — the seeds do not make their appearance
above ground — I feel melancholy as it is my boy’s last
Sunday at home in two years — how little we can
imagine of what 2 years will bring forth — How often
we have occasion to feel that this “blindness to the future”
is “kindly given” — Lounsbury was buried to day
with unusual pageantry — he died very suddenly
Tuesday ^Thursday^ morning — was supposed to have ruptured a
blood vessel — he was talking with his wife a
moment before he died and ceased breathing before
she could call any one into the room — There have been
various surmises about his being really dead — many
experiments were tried to rescusitate him which proved
ineffectual so after keeping him not quite four day they
have put him under ground dead or alive — The physicians

all said he was dead — but physicians are so often mistaken
that had he been a friend of mine I would never have
consented to his burial until some certain evidence
was firm of his disease — The apprehension that
he might be alive would haunt me ever after — The
horror of such an internment I think will justify any
absurdity which uncertainty may induce the survivors
to practice — I have succeeded with Maria and Abbey
in getting our two front rooms cleaned and in order
the parlour carpet proved to be quite large enough and
is very pretty — We shall do no more until next week
as my time this week must be entirely devoted to my
boy — he is to leave Friday — Henry has been quite
sick with the ague in his face and is now suffering
with rheumatism — all the effect of a cold taken those
warm days — Tomorrow he is to go to Ovid to attend
Court — Mrs & Mrs Seward are as usual quite
sick half the time — Mother has never been able to
go out since she came — Mr Seward has been twice
to Church — Willie enjoys his eyes much — he has
just returned from the pasture where he has been for the cow
all life and animation — he wears a large sun bonnet

drawn over his face — Mr Underwood e took him to ride
Thursday — he goes often to the office and is constantly
teasing me to hear him say his letters — I am afraid of
trying his eyes — one is a little inflamed to day — I have
homeopathic medicine which I give him occasionally
though his health and appetite are much improved by air
and exercise — dear little boy every thing is new and beautiful
to him after so many months of darkness — I should like
to know if you saw Dr Munn at Rochester — I should
not hesitate in the least about telling him the effect
of the quinine — I hope Frances has the new Piano
and is pleased with it — I am very sorry about
your hat — I think you should get new trimmings
for the one you have — I have had mine trimmed with
light ribbon — the summer hats are very pretty but
much smaller than I supposed — Tell Frances I see
or hear of nothing new in the way of dress — I went
to call upon Mrs Barker (George) on her way to Buffalo
there I found Frances Goodwin and Stephen in a very
flourishing state — Frances with that light green silk
a new straw colored silk hat with a profusion of flowers
and lace and a heavy black silk shawl embroidered
in colours — I do not think that can be the fashion
for summer — though Frances seemed to feel perfectly
complacent on the subject — Mrs Barker was very
glad to see me and vastly more agreeable than I ever found
her before — she has a babe 4 months old “our posterity”
as Barker calls it — it was a dear little girl and
reminded me so strongly of Nealy that I wet its little
soft face with tears — Mc Clallen has hired a house
on north street nearly opposite Chapel — Clara says it is
a pretty place though the house is larger than she wishes
I do not know when they move — Mc Clallen seems

to be lost this afternoon — he has not been seen since noon and
it is now 6 oclock — a very unusual thing for him —
Mrs Sherman Beardsley died yesterday — H. Underwood
went last evening for Sherman who had gone the day
before to N. York — Mrs B — had been sick some time
though she could not have been considered immediately dangerous
Emily Burr is in N.Y. She called a council of physicians
she has been tapped for the dropsy — this is all we
hear — Love to Frances
your own sister
Mrs Alvah Worden
Canandaigua
AUBURN N.Y.
May 22

[right Margin] Willie was much delighted with the story of the
tree toad —