City of Washington Sept 20-1831
Dear Abby,

I hope you can read writing, or what may
be more difficult, that you can read mine, & not have
to go to Mother to get her read 'my letter from Charles"-I hope
that, since you go to school all the time you have learned
a great deal; more than you could put into a "Thimble".
But if you think that you know enough, that is, everything
you may stay at home & make shirts for me-as I suppose
you have by this time become skillful in your needle-
You say that you have plenty of milk & cream for
me & wish me to make haste & come home; but as I cannot come
when it is so plenty I expect you will eat it yourself &
try to get a little red into your pale cheeks-No doubt you
fly round as gay as a butterfly among flowers-up by sunrise
your dairy finished in ten minutes-Breakfast ready an
hour before school--& you there among the first--& at the
head in your class--& after a fortnight or two I suppose
"run off" to Grandmam Garlands or down to Emily's; indeed
if I was at Home I would run too-Abby do you have to
work hard & get scolded too; or are you Mother's 'deary" as do as
you please? If you do all things right, there will be no need
of scolding & you may reserve ? your good, your kind & sensitive
feelings & I hope you always do-for I never should wish to see
you with a disposition different from that you used to
have--& I hope you will not by any fault of yours cause
Mother to fret it by scolding-Abby I wish you
could be with me sometimes-I would show you Grand houses
Grand carriages-Grand pictures-Grand people & every thing

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thing that was grand-I would give you Apples and
Pears-Peaches & Grapes & many other good things-
I would show you neat little ladies not larger than
yourself, skipping about like lambs-but as you
cannot come you must skip about at home. Do you ever
have any parties? Tell Mother she must let you have
your company, & be a lady among them-and per-
haps I may come home one of these days & take a dish
of tea with you-but whether I do or not I hope
you will be a good girl that I may love you
as much as I ever have-GoodBy- C.G. Parsons