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Mrs. Gibson
Dec. 29, 1838

guard chain around his neck and realy had I seen him in the street I should have taken him for a nobleman & Hiram says if he was in America and was to bow to the greatest men there he would receive as low a bow as he gave - Well he sawed the wood and was paid for it, and in about two weeks after (one Sunday morning about 5 o'clock) we heard a terrible noise in the street. I wanted Hiram to look out and see what was the matter, but he not thinking it was any thing that concerned us would not get up, so we went to sleep again and in a couple of hours our woman burst into our room in a great flurry, and asked us something which we misunderstood & answered "yes" when in she walked with this same fellow to hide him from her husband, who had been here and caught him in the house with his wife - we were somewhat alarmed when we saw a great man coming through our room before we were up - she wanted to put him in a room that was beyond ours to keep her husband from catching him. It seems that Nicolini the landlord who has a room on the stairs ? he let him in about one o'clock and as soon as it was light had gone and told her husband who you may be sure had not lost time in coming over to see if it was realy true - we were a good deal disturbed for the street was full of people. He had taken the fellow in the street and given a sound thrashing. I was sorry he had not beaten them both but the wife came off better than she diserved as she only got a few thumps and a bite on one arm which lamed her for two or three days. Hiram got up in a hurry I can assure you and made the fellow start in no time and told her she should stay provided he never caught any of her lovers in the house again, which she very readily promised. We had half a mind to send her off but were told we would go farther & fare worse, we have concluded to keep her. I think she is realy a very good woman in every other respect. Her husband poor fool is now on as good terms as ever he comes every Sunday to help her, draws all the water, cleans the knives & lamps and washes up all the things in the kitchen and they are as kind together as if nothing had happened - such things are so common here it is thought nothing of, they are a most depraved set of people both men and women - I shall have enough to tell when I get home to weary you about.

Jany. 23rd, 1839

I did not think when I commenced this letter that 1839 should have come in before