Mrs. Work's Letter

Toeopolis, lil. Angust 13, 1844. Dear Sir:- 1 received your kind letter tliis afiernoon, and 1 ivül improve tliq first opportnnity to answer it, for I iruly boüeve 1 have fóiind a fViënd in a stranger; und a friend in need isa f Tiend indeed. Many a stranger haa sympathised with me whom I never enw, and never expect to see, thia side of the grave; jut Í irust I shall meet ihem in Heaven. where we shall tune our liarps and sing hallelujali to the Larnb. When my husband went away, I and my children were dependent upon him for our daily bread; and my healtli was not Lood when ie went away. Myself und youngest child a little girl eighteen months old, were forty miles from home when he went, which was on Monday, and I got home the next Fridpy, with my little girl eick in my arms, and found my youngast son quite 6ick. As sopn as 1 got into the house, iny cldest son of the age of nine years, said to me, 'Mother, where is hther? he went away on Mondy and we have not seen liirn since.' Judge what were my leelings at that moment. I was at home but a few moments before I heard he was in Palmyria jail, u Missouri. In two weeks ï went over to see him, and saw him upon an avf;rnge once a week while he was in jail, which was more thon eight weeks. I do not know how they could live so long there in so small a place. I have been to JefFerson twice, and expeettogo (if the Lord spares my life, and gives me ineans) again next November when the legislature sits, &t pleod with,lhem for the release of my husband. But I will drop tliis subject and write upon the one you wiuhed me to. We have a small house, vvhic'.i I have c.nlled our own, but how long I can do sol know not, for the she.'iffcame out yesterduy morning and handed me a wrii, to appear at the Court House the third Monday in September, to onsvver to a certam bill of complaint. - Where it will endI know not. lt is for the lawyerV fee ín Missouri. I aai owing some cash debts; one, which is the most, (except the lawyer's fee.) is about twenly dollars: it was thirty nine, but some friends in Ccnnecticut sent me some money some timo ago, ant I paid the other part. The man I owe it to lives somewhere ín the eastern States; he bas sent out twice to luue it sued, büt ïf he wil] have pationce I will pay him all. If it had not been for kind friends I do not know whore l should have been now. No living being but myself knows the troub.'e.-1 nnd trials I have passed ihrough for the last three years. lam a woman of sorrow and acquninted with grief. My health has been a growing poorer and poorer ever since my husband went away, thoughlam ableto attendto my work. 1 wash for three students and take in a little sewing. They poy me in work again, or let me have urders; but I cannot always get the most needful articles will theni, 6uch aa groceries und flour. I am willing to do what I can to get a living, but my fumily repuires a gooc deal of my time. I am troubled to get a sufiiciency of flour: we live mostly on the coarse article. Perhops you do not know what that is; Ihe superfine is token out of the whea , and then the fine, and this I use is the next. I dot 8y this to complnin, for I should be glac Lo get enough even of that. I have had but a vcry little ment in rr.y house for a goot while. A friend sent me a few pounds of pork the other duy, which l thankfully received. I have eeen the time since my husband went avny, ihatl would have been glad of bran to mnke bread of. It has got to be nn old story his being in prison. There is but litüe said or done about it. It troubles me to think the pressisso silent about it. You wish me to teil you vvhat would makemy farnily comfortuble. It is hard for me to teil. I have enrned to get along with litile. ' My Master knows what wc need, and has sent me help more than once when I was ready to despair. I must trust to the Lord for a supply (íbr he ís kind - and yoür kindness shows ir,) for the remainder of the sutnmer and the coming ful and winter. You may think I look a groa wuyá ahead. I do not know that I slall live to that time, but I remember the winter that ha& gone by and what we suífered. í can bear cold and hunge'r mucli beíter than [can see my cliildren bear it. Manya time have we sbiyered over a few embers, and I havé waded ihroOgh the sndW for wood, and to take care of my cow, till my clothes were frozèn near a quarter of a yard deep. Many a time last winter did I travel miles ihrough the show to find my cow. For want of food she wandered offj and 1 co not know but will have to do the saiie the coming winter. You may think I te!l you a greiit deal, but tiie one Rali I have not to!d you. If the friends can spare bed clothing, or winter dollies or shocs. or any sucii tluntr, or clotiiiug of any kind, I should be very glad, for I liiink I could exebange somo of tbem fu'r food, nud some of tliem I want. I know money is vrey èearce. One of Üte teachers has gone oost, and I heard that himself or liis agent was going to Vermont to get soinething if he could for the institutiön hero. If you and the friends could, without robbing yourselvcs, send me a email box' bv this man, I tijiiik the Lord will reward you. It is a great favor to ask, aud I will not urge it. If you shall 6ee fit lo send a box, will yon put [in a paper containing the names of the donors. It would be a comfort to me to rend them ,over. I am glad to hcar youspeak somuch about Freedom. If you were as near a eluve state as I ani; you would want togive in'two volca lovían. I Jive two miles Trom the Mississppi River, whicli divides Illinois from Missouii. - I have Cour children. 1 have buried one smce my husband went toprisnn. I have a liltle son ndded to my fíirm'ly since he went awny. His name is Alanuon. He is in his third year. People that come here ask him where his "utfieria. He tells them he is in the penelencia. They ask him what they símil do tu the men wbo put him in there. He eays, oay them nbuut the penting o f theirsins: that s pray about their repentina of their sins. J hink my husband being takn sway was the cau?e of my littie girl's deaih. She would lie n her eradle from morning till night and cal! 'or her father, till she pined away and died. The day botone before she died she called for rcaper, and said 8he wanted to Write to ft.ther. T;ie night beforo ehe died, (I was watcbíg viih her - it was past miduight - no one in be houso but my cliildren, and they asleep. t was a very cold night, and I had no wood cut for a fire, and I was Biiakinv with the cold,) slie went into a fit, and I held her in my arrns, I shoiild think ten minutes t)int she did not brealhe. J awakened my eldeát child and sent foi a neigiibor. She did not breathe vhen the neighbur carne. Afier she had been there awhile, Eüen carne ■artly out of the fit, and went into another which she nevercamo out of. O! I thoitght if my hus)aud had been here at the lime wh.it would I have givéñ! But no, it could not be. There 13 a world which we are looking forward to, where sorrowing and sijrhing will be done away, and whêre the wicked will cease from troóbring and theweary be aL rest. Perhaps you tiave not been called to wade through the furnace of affliction; but with mei sometimes think it hns been heatedone seven times hotter thrin before. But the Lord's will, not mine ,be done. My husband wishes me to go inte Missouri and circuíate petitions. 1 have alreary been three times, and exposed lite nnd healtb, anc am willing to do it again if I can get him released; but my faith is weak, - Kind sir pray for me and mine. Yuurs, trulv.