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Commonwealth Hotel Dec. 23, 1877 My dear Alice, I am rather dismayed at the sight of this large sheet, for it seems impossible for me to fill it to day. And my letter must be written this very day, for I shall be in a perfect whirl tomorrow. Dear, our friend William O. has come and brought me the very last news from you all. I am indeed glad that you have secured such pleasant rooms as he and Ida tell me of[[strikethrough]] f [[/strikethrough]]. It is better than I feared in that respect. You would have needed too much fortitude to stay in Madison all winter "with your house left unto you desolate". it [[written vertically in side and top margins]] from my dear Phoebe! Alice, I cannot tell you how pure and good she looks. Now that she is like [[Missours?]] people. She is so delightfully human that it seems to me she cannot be going to [[learn?]] no. Yet there is a look of [[underlined]] apartness [[/underlined]] about her always, and her cough fills us with anxiety She is ^[[so]] brave and serene that I wonder at her. I wish you could see her. I visited last week also the invalid who has so long suffered from cerebro-spinal meningitis. She could really enjoy seeing me - a thing I hardly ventured to hope . . But I came home, as you will readily imagine, quite tired out and the day [[/written vertically in side and top margins]]
Transcription Notes:
An additional portion of the letter is written vertically in the side and top margins of the main portion of the page.
Reviewed - I think it is "Hotel" rather an "Postal" & I managed to solve some of the [[?]]. -@siobhanleachman