154 THE MOOES AND THE MOUNTAINS. 



" Dollar, Monday night, 20th August 1832. 



" My deae, sweet Lassie, — I wish to tell you a secret, 

 which I hope will make you very glad — -I expect to be 

 home on Wednesday evening to my own Woodville. Don't 

 tell this to Mamma, Henny, or Johnny, but just make 

 them guess. You must all sit up to supper that night, if 

 mamma is well ; and we will all be so happy. I have been 

 a long time away from home, and will be real glad to get 

 back. I hope you Lave both been good children, and I 

 expect to find you improved in your reading, writing, and 

 spelling. I have got a great many beetles and a good 

 many butterflies. Perhaps you have seen the beetles, as 

 they went home with Uncle Greville, who promised to call 

 very soon at Woodville, to tell mamma about papa. I 

 have also several large living caterpillars, but some of them 

 have died. I forgot to tell mamma to put the grass with 

 the glow-worms' eggs upon it into the park, that the 

 young ones might thrive better when they were hatched. 

 I was much obliged to you for your little letter. If I am 

 away next year, you will be able to write to me a long, 

 lmig letter yourself, and tell me all that is going on. You 

 are now growing an old bit creature, and will soon be 

 very useful to papa and mamma; and when Johnny goes 

 to school, you will rise early in the morning, and see that 

 his little breakfast is laid out neat and comfortably ; and 

 you will be very kind to one another, for God loves chil- 



