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Home, Friday, Nov. 25th or 6th

Dear Bob, Cora & Alice have been engaged writing Charlie, who is in trouble and I have just got off seven pages: close, to him. - So shall stick your letter, Charlie's trouble is, what was feared before - Mrs Reynolds will not have kind men about - and when Charlie got down there he found valuable stock (pears &c) from Rochester, N. Y. - and his five tons, all uncared for, and not even covered up, from frost - tho' plenty of material was at hand, and Reynold's refused to have men - so Charlie and he have been delving away, to keel in the things - and will be very apt to lose enough to have paid men to do it, five times over. I suspect he and Charlie will not be able to get on together; for the reason that the woman rules (that, I could see) and is determined not to have any men to feed - or even a hired girl, in the house a nursery can't go on so, that is certain.

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If Mr Boyden would only help as much as I have done, and will do, Delia & Charlie might marry, and he go into business, at Sandoval, or Odin, on his own book. And Mr. Boy=den might do it, just as easy as not - for he told me he was making 35/100 per cent, on his capital, and that is over $100,000, as we learn from Mrs B.

It appears that Reynolds & Charlie have had some plain words, and Reynolds has told him that he "would not have a gang of men about, and never intended to do more business than could be done with their "own hands," and Charlie says he has worked well, until he got worked down - and since then he (Charlie) had worked alone, and cut his own fire wood & made his own bed - his washing has always been done here. - Of course, they can't get on so - and unless Reynolds can do what he told me he would - build a tenant house, whose men could be boarded - the

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they must remove the nursery to Sandoval - where Reynolds has land, or divide it, unless he choose's to buy out the stock. And I have so advised Charlie - I am sorry that Reynolds, or rather his wife, is so wrong headed, in regard to [illegible] labor - for Charlie needs some one with him - and Reynolds is a man to be trusted. But his notion of no hired labor is just as bad as Charlie's ideas of indefinite expansion; though doubtless the safest.

I am glad to hear you are studying french. Let old fogies say what they may, it is worth ten times as much as latin. French is, to-day, what latin was, a thousand years ago - the language of the learned, and of diploma=cy, everywhere.

I got the volume of Patent office Report, with your letter announcing it - and letter, of later date, came yesterday - I will be pendint, in my Review of Report, and especially your part of it.

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I shall write as "an old age Edition" - same as in noticing arboretum circulars - By the way I wish you would read my weekly "crit=eque", carefully,- and tell me where you think I get in too much of it - or fall off, in the true spirit of criticism- point and brevity. I adopt the course, because it is easier to me, than set articles, and I am bound to fill "two columns per week" - according to contract.

My health continues good - and brain works remarkably well - but I have an immense number of letters to write, and if I exceed the four hours of a morning, I am unfit for men=tal labor next day. Neither brain nor pen-hand will work over four hours, in twentyone. Still, I do a heap of work, consid=ering my condition a year ago, and I eat & sleep well - and am not desponding. By the way, yesterday - "thanksgiving day" - venison for breakfast. Turkey for dinner - oysters for supper - venison from Green Bay, at that.

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And a good Agar, brought by Frank - to whom we owe the Green Bay venison, and some Eastern "Bay oysters. To-day Mother & girls have gone to the Folly - Men saving carrots - got out 20 bushels of them yesterday - or near that - weather pleasant, - but still snow on ground, and frost in it - mercury up to 35[degrees] or 36[degrees] - and only down to 30[degrees] at sunrise - a little lower in the night perhaps - for the last 2 or 3 days - we shall manage not to lose the tulips, I think - for if this weather holds a week, we shall be able to plant them - and if not, we will keep them through in dry earth - our beets, I think, will be the only crop entirely lost - and perhaps the buckwheat - as that is still out - & not dry enough to get in - Rats & mice are destructively abundant - So Have eaten up our tiger flowers &c - and are gnawing trees badly. Jack killed half a duck, yesterday -

[page turned] Rats everywhere about house & barn - Ira has trapped dozens and I heard man - Altar full of them - and nursery full of mice