May 3rd, 185-
My dear Lydia,
It feels as if ages have passed since I moved away from you, and oh! how my heart still aches with missing you. But God knows best, and I am sure that this will be a better job for Papa than the last one was. He is already busy building the new school for the neighborhood, and drawing out the plans for our new home. Right now we are renting a small house in the middle of town, but Papa has bought about 25 acres five miles out of town.
My precious little baby brother is learning to crawl in our sitting-room, and is trying with all his little might to stand up. He has grown so much since we moved, and he misses your own little brother, for he has no little play fellows of his own here.
How is your brother John doing out in the wild, wild, West? I haven't seen him since you and I were children of eleven, and he was already a man at eighteen: just think, six whole years ago! But then he had always wanted to be a rancher. What fun times we had when we were growing up together! And poor John always had to keep us out of trouble, and help us get out of our scrapes.
I like our pastor here. He seems like he is truly trying to live his life as Jesus would have him to, and he preaches the truth, instead of skipping over parts of it like most preachers these days do. Some people call him a "fire and brimstone" preacher, but he doesn't only preach about judgment, he also preaches about faith and everyday Christian living. His name is David Spencer, and he is young: only twenty-seven. He has come to dinner at our house several times, and we all like him very much.
Oh! You'll never guess! Papa just came in and said I may invite you to come down here and stay through the whole month of November! Mamma is writing to ask your mother. Do say yes! I have missed you so since we moved in January.
Please write back soon, my dear friend.
Yours forever,
Claudia