Fabius, (Knox County) Missouri March 29th 1869

Monday Evening

My Dear Friend

    I now sit down to reply to your letter in the last mail. I was glad to hear from you but sorry to hear of your sickness - but hope this may find you all improving in health and spirits. We are all well except Noah, his health has not been so good for several months. Although he has kept about and done considerable work. We have had no school in our district ___ distance is so great and the roads so bad our children cannot go. Matty stays with mother, was home yesterday and went back today. I saw mother and Esther yesterday both wish to be remembered to you. They are both enjoying their usual health. Henry's health is very poor but he still does considerable work. There has not been much sickness in our neighborhood this winter but the doctors have been very busy ___ ____ believe the sickness quite severe but during January and February it was quite pleasant but the present month has balanced the account. For a few days past it has been quite warm and the roads have thawed up and now they are almost in passable. Today the wind has blown a perfect gale and everything that was loose felt its effects. Times are getting better here for farmers since the railroad has opened an outlet to St. Louis but the roads are so bad one half of the year it is a great inconvenience. According to the papers we are going to have railroads all around us some day. Noah wants to sell out and go back to Illinois where there is less brush to cut and grubs to dry out or else be obliged to carry his plow half of the day. We have no prairie land except a little on the creek bottom that is fit only for pasture.

   I wish I could have lived near you during your illness and your children's, I feel that I am very much indebted to you for your kindness to me and mine in days gone by. Believe me my dear friend your many acts of kindness were appreciated and in my heart I shall never hear tender memories of you in my several new homes in this far west. I've never found as kind a friend as yourself. How I have longed to see you, you may never know. Noah often speaks of your kindness to me and is very grateful to you. He has me no rest hardly since we received your letter fearing I would not have one wrote to you when he should (go) to the office for the paper tomorrow. Our mail comes on Saturday and Thursdays from the North and goes North Mondays and Fridays. It goes on a wagon from Bloomfield to Memphis Missouri so we cannot always get fresh news from the busy world outside the brush. We take the Ledger it is the only recreation the children have and it is welcomed as a valued friend and read and reread by them and laid away as choice as any valuable book. Henry takes two so ____ papers and they are eagerly handed over and everything they can understand read and tacked over. Noah and the children have gone to bed sometime ago and I must haste and close. I hope ____ this reached you yourself and family may again be enjoying the quiet homes of sleeping ____ cares away instead of lying in sick beds and suffering all the ____ for one another that loving hearts feel at such times.

With Love to all

Adaline Wirt

I hope to hear from you all soon again I would much like to have Emma and Oscar write to us. Noah would be greatly pleased to get a letter from Oscar. Our best love to all.