Otego Dec 16th 1879

​

Dear Brother

​

Every time I write to you I promise myself it shan’t be so long next time before I write to you but I procrastinate from day to a day and from week and months roll away before I get up steam enough to write. We have had quite warm weather since this month came in. We had several freezes in November and the river has been frozen over once or twice, then it would thaw out. Apples are scarce this year. There was a frost so late that it injured the fruit crop very much. Elvira and I are still keeping house together. We probably shall as long as we can earn enough to support ourselves and pay our rent. My health is very good and I think I’m smart for a person 65 years old, that is doing pretty well to weave between 300 and 400 yards in a year. Lucius is not well at all. He works all the time though but he is younger than I am and he does not enjoy as good health as I do I think, yet I feel old age creeping on. Ade is living in Louisville Ky. Her husband has been at Leadsville in Colorado all summer. He has talked some of moving his family there. I wish you would sell out where you are and come a little nearer home. I should not think you would want to live way up there most to the north pole. They pretend the climate is not much colder than it is in Mare(?) but the days must be shorter than they are here and they are so short here you can’t hardly turn round between daylight and dark. I go down past our old place occasionally and the orchard and sap bush and rocks and hills seem like old friends. Orrin Houghton lives where he did when you went away. The old neighbors are most all gone. Some have been borne away by the death angel, others have gone to the far west. Otego is very much changed since you were here but every thing is at a stand still. Real estate is down to the lowest figure, every thing is dull excepting selling blue ruin. The rumsellers make money whether any body else does or not. Down to Wells bridge they have got two churches and there is two stores and the school district is divided and they have built a new school house on the other side of the river and the Wells bridge probably think it will be the hub. Well I guess I’ve written nonsense enough for once. Good bye dear brother and if we never meet on earth may we meet in heaven.

T Chase