In honor of the dwindling days of the lazy summer, this week we’ve posted a letter from Lucy to her son-in-law Robert where she chastens him to get out of the office and take a vacation with the family. Lucy also expresses her hopes that Robert and Virginia will take in Virginia’s sister Eleanor over the winter because she’s had a rough go of it lately. Poor thing is married to Walter Otey, a slave trader, and Lucy dislikes him so much she has in other letters called him a “Demon clothed in human flesh.” Yikes.
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Covington Aug 10th
My ever attentive & thoughtful son,
Was it not for you I should not yet know whether Via & the children ever arrived in Pha or anything about their movements since, I am glad to hear they are so pleasantly situated & truly sorry to hear you were compelled to leave them & return to St. Louis to be still confined to business, as soon as you get the Graders & boats off, can’t you return to them for several weeks & take a little recreation to yourself, I am sure you have not had much, to have gotten through your fall purchases so early, I judge one year by another, last year if I remember right you went on somewhere about the first week in August, now you return about this time having completed your business there so by this way of reasoning, I think
[Pg. Break] after you get the Boats off, you might take a little time for yourself & all to return together the 1st of Sept. I know you will say Mrs. Kyle is a poor judge about my business, & like other ladies think they know a good deal when they know nothing about it. Well I concluded before I left Brighton that you would not return until you brought all back with you, at least I thought it very doubtful, so I concluded to come right off to Covington, as I am much happier here every way, I am with those who are very near & dear to me & who take pleasure in any way in their power to promote my comfort & pleasure, if I could have boarded in the same family with brother George & where sister E. boarded in the winter, I might have remained in Brighton, but as I knew they did not wish to take boarders I did not apply to them. The house I was at had no blinds too.
[Pg. Break] They had only shades to any part of it, it was so light is was very severe on my eyes & the room I had was so very warm at night & a feather bed too, the straw bed was too hard, so I thought there was no use in my staying there any longer I liked the family very well & they kept a good table & I was as polite & attentive to me as possible, if I had been certain of your return I would have remained & met you in St. Louis & it would have given me great pleasure to have it in my power to be in the degree serviceable to you, I suppose now we shall all meet sometime next month I am truly delighted poor Eleanor is with Via & all our other friends, she has had more trials to bear since her marriage than anyone I ever knew. I am glad she is where she can enjoy some good society & see something of the world, besides that of seeing her sister & cousins,
[Pg. Break] I hope you & Vial will invite her to accompany you home & do what you can to make her enjoy herself this winter, I have thought perhaps she would place Bettie at Boarding school in Pha I think she and Via might write to me. The dear children how often I think of them particularly sweet little Hazlett I know Eleanor is devoted to them all she is so fond of children in fact I suppose both he & the baby are so much [?]_______ I don’t see how they stand it everybody must have a play with them. I suppose Hazlett is the greatest favorite of all the children with your Brother and all, Please give my love to cousin David I suppose you find him good company in the evening say to him that brother Thomas received the Box of things & says they were all satisfactory which I was glad to hear he wrote to me from Niagara sister Amelia sends her love to you & cousin David with a great deal of love I remain now
and ever your affectionate
Mother in law
LA Kyle
[Pg. Break, side of 1st page] Remember me kindly to the Mackensies’ Woods’ Allens’ and Mr. Yeatman if enquired after by them.
