A change of address, here--this letter begins "My Dear Cousin," so Marion Brown (age 24) has begun to write directly to Marion Glencross (now 15 years old). She adds a couple pages for uncle John Glencross too. In this letter, we get more of Marion Brown's medical treatment for headaches and impaired speech--"
fly blisters" (painful blisters raised on the skin by applying the irritating extract of certain insects), and "a cord" in the back of her neck....?
Marion's brother James Brown has married Agnes Kerr, age 19, a resident of the Bogg. There's also commentary on how hard Aunt Agnes works, and how quickly Marion Glencross might lose her "Yankee talk" if she visited Scotland.
My Dear Cousin
I received your Kind letter in due time and was very glad to see by it that you and my uncle was both well for what a blessing it is to have good health and when we have not health we may say we have nothing for we can enjoy nothing and nothing is a pleasure to us in this world. I was so proud over your letter for since I could not speak when I get a letter it is just like talking to yourself it is a great mis the want of my voice but what a blessing it is I have always my reason but our heavenly Father is always kind to us and gives us poor sinful creatures far more than we deserve I can not but say that I have had a sore winter and is not much better yet for I have such a queer stupid head I can tell nobody what it is like the Doctor says it is the nerves that goes from the spine of my back to my Brain that causes my head to be so bad. I have had on a good many fly blisters on the back of my neck and I always get some relief with them the Dr. is going to put a cord in the back of my neck now he thinks it will do more good as the blisters but perhaps the good weather will do me good now for the weather has a great effect on people that is not very strong and it has been a very changeable spring here
now I must begin to give you the news and what is going on about the Bogg. first of all how queer it was that I got your letter that day that my Brother James was going to be married. he was married on the third of April to Agnes Agnes [sic] Kerr. Your Father would know her she came to William Halberts to be nursed and she always stayed with them and now she is married she is just ninteen but she has always been a very solid young woman for she has been at the Bogg with us for six years she came first to herd the cows and just stoped on till she got hired for the long term as the saying goes. so you see there is nothing but changes. we don't know who will be our summer man yet for James goes about as dumb as a stick and has never said a word whither he will stop with us or not but Mr. Kennedy takes a good intrest in Aunt for he says there will never a wife come to live here as long as Aunt can do it all.
Dear Marion you told me all about your stock of hens I think we will just have about the same number as you and a good many of them is laying and we have two breeding swine and some shots and we have eight cows calved and I think we will have plenty of hay this year. we have two pets and one of them has a lamb James is busy getting the garding selved this weekend we got our corn sowen last week so you see the work is fairly begun for another year and they are going to be plainting potatoes at Brandleys this week they are a good deal sooner with them this year. now I think I have told you the most of the things that is going on just now.---
Dear Marion you think you would not enjoy a visit to Scotland much because you don't know much about the language but I think you would soon give over the Yankee talk if you was here now although you have only wrote one letter to me I hope when you are begun you will continue on and not be very long in writting again and I will close to you at this time hopping this will find you in good health I will say goodbye with kind love from your affectionate cousin Marion Brown
Dear uncle
As the saying goes long looke for comes at last and we were all wearing very much to get a letter from you but Marion is a good writter now and she must just write in your stead for your hand will not be very steady for writting sometimes. I am to give you Aunts compliments and say that she was wearing so much to hear from you that she dreamed every night for a week about you before we got your letter and I have to tell you that she has made out with the cows and had a little over to begin with again. Dear uncle Aunt has a great deal of work to go through to keep all things right and is not very strong at times but she is wonderful to but if it was not her spirit that keeps her up I don't know how she would do at all. Uncle Joseph has been working at Brandleys all winter and is there yet and all his family is well. And uncle William is draining Mains just now and his wife and family is all well. All friends and acquaintances is well here as far as I know just now, and I will write to you as soon as I know who is to be our summers man for James is not like Me for he takes a long time before he can speak his mind but I just say what I think and has done with it so now I must stop for it is nearly past time and with kind love from us all I remain your affectionate niece Marion Brown
pleas write soon
