Lawrence, Kansas Territory
Dec. 5, 1858
Mr. John Benjamin
Dear John,
Four weeks ago this Sabbath evening I received your letter
of October 25th and therein notice the receipt by you of the twenty
five dollars I transferred for the express purpose of furnishing you and yours
with that cow of whom so much has been said, and I hope not unprofitably, for I
partake the satisfaction it will (or rather hope it will) equally with
yourselves be a source of convenience and comfort to you all.
I am pleased to know that the money reached you and seems to
have been paid out so satisfactorily as to now it appears to be. Mrs. Benjamin said in her letter to Mrs. Wait
“that it cost nothing to keep on here”, meaning that comparatively it costs nothing
with you to what it would be in Dedham to keep a cow. Now you must excuse Mr. Wait. He must say what he thinks is proper to be
said, at the same time saying it respectively ___ will not neither can they
subsist on air. We love good things, so
do they. They have their comforts in
eating and drinking and resting, so do we.
And as I am writing to kind and benevolent hearts, as I know you both to
possess, I do not fear but the animal will ___ as she ought and my advice has
been proffered more on a/c of what I suppose to be your inexperience and not on
a/c of your disposition to neglect so dependent and excellent provider of our
varied comforts as a good cow. One word
more & I am done. I had (for my
knowledge of farming and the care of animals is all theoretical & not
practical) that the most of good cow can, by proper treatment and care, be kept
in milk up almost to within a few days of calving, so govern yourselves accordingly as I no doubt
you will. Here we are without a drop of
milk . I will not pay 10 cents per quart
for it. Mary and myself do very well without
it in tea and chocolate, but not coffee, so we have coffee ___ and consequently
a quart of milk has to come from somewhere.
Willie growls dreadfully sometimes and says “where is your milk, can’t
you get no milk, you know I can’t drink tea without milk. Take it away, I want milk in it. You need not give me any breakfast or supper
again without milk . So you hear, this is all said to his mother. ” From April
to September inclusive we took 2 quarts per day at 5 cents per quart and
since that time we have had it but very sparingly. So much for cows and milk. I have about cleared the cabin of old and
new newspapers and have sent them to you .
You must take my letters as you find them in the haphazard styles for I
cannot take any ___ with them on a/c of my ___, consequently I am ashamed of
them but cannot help it.
I wish you to tell me when your winters commence and when
they leave off. How cold it is &
when you plant. How far are you from
Saint Paul? On what river are you and
will it always be navigable. The Kansas River
is not worth one cent and is almost worse than none. Have you presented your design? How many inhabitants in your town. Were you not in time to come find it worth
something to put up your __ and work it by horse or hand power. You are handy with tools, can you not work at
carpentering? I need not say to you keep
at some employment for I know you too well to be an idler. Be employed __ at small ways, do anything you
can do. Hold on to your accustomed
integrity; give vice and immorality no place with you. Faithfully per form your part trusting, and
leave the rest not doubting, but all will come right in the end.
You say in your letter “I will make it all right with you
Mr. Wait”. I conjecture that to mean
that someday you would pay me for the $25.
You are not indebted to me except myself, Mrs. Wait or Willie should
need it, not otherwise, and when we do you will probably hear from us and, if
able , you will respond according to ability, and if neither of us ever call
for it, so as I have done to you, supply ___ and worthy deed according to your
ability. And remember the ___
Mite. None of us know how much good that
Mite was destined to do , but you Mr.
Benjamin ever think of the ___ ___ ___ ___ .
“They of their abundance have call with the treasury , but this woman
hath call in all his living”. I have
read somewhere ___ ____
Hoping you are all well as we are. I am respectfully yours,
Richard G. Wait
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