Dear Bro Ebb,

I rec’d your kind letter and now hasten to answer. We are all well, tough, and fat.  I had written to you, but have only this one letter from you in 6 months.  Now, Ebb, I love a letter from you.  I will ans. every one you write. So now, please write a little oftener if you can and I will be as punctual as you are.  It is true we are a great way off.  But still we think of our loved ones at home.  We would be glad to live near you.  But we are better off here than we ever were in Ohio.
We have 448 ½ acres of good land.  We have a comfortable home in town.  I have a snug little grocery store and am doing a good business. 
 
But we don’t know how long, we shall have, for the copperheads are bound to put down all Union men. I believe we shall have to whip them like hell before they will be satisfied!  These same copperheads are holding a secret organization, called the ‘Knights of Golden Circle.’  We shall try to break up their dens.  I want you to put it down that I am for the Union and the Old Flag.  I want no compromise, except an unconditional one. Now Ebb, the government must be maintained!  You may differ with me, in that respect.  I say it is not the negro they are fighting for.  But it is to set up a ‘monarchical aristocratical government. They say the North are descendants of Irish and scotch, and we are low birth and we have none of the Royal Blood.  That we are bog-trotters, and only fit for servants.  You may ask, how do I know?  Well, they say so!.  We have this class of men righ here.  And they have said it on the streets.  This set of men call all the republican party a damned set of Abolitionists!  I will tell you, Ebb, they have got to leave this world or else come back under the Old Flag!  I do not criminate the democrats.  Only this part of them and they are no democrats.  They are Seceeders and Traitors.  Only fit for hell!

Now Ebb, I want you to tell Mother that Clark & Lorinda want her to come up to Nebraska this Spring.  And when she wants to go back I will give her the money to go back with.  If she will come, tell her to come direct through Omaha City, right through Iowa.  Or, she can come to St. Joe on train.  Then take the boat right here.  Please give my respects to all enquireing friends.

I am Post Master now and also have a good general store.

Yours truly,

Abner Clark Reed

Well, Ebb, Clark has left half of the sheet for me to write. So here it goes.  We rec’d your letter about 12 o’clock night before last.  Read it & did not sleep much, the rest of the night.  I am so sorry for the boys.  I see by papers the Colorado troops are ordered south for service. I don’t believe the climate will agree with Bro. George. But he is a soldier and must try, although he knew if would kill him.  I am flattering myself that I shall see him, as his regiment is ordered to reach the river at nearest point from Denver.  And that is a little above us.  I shall be on the look out all the time!  Poor Newall, I wish he was at home.  I don’t see any prospect of the war closing.  I am as discouraged as Brother Newall seems to be.  Where will it ever end?  How do you manage to get clothes for yourselves and children?  Everything is so high.  I don’t know what we are to do.  Calico is 25c a yard.  They say it will be higher in the Spring.  Cotton cloth is up beyond all calculation. Coffee is 40c a pound.  Dried apples, oats, wheat 45 or 50c a bu.  There are few sheep in country.  So people can do but little at making their own clothing.

Tell Mother to grease up the spinning wheel for I mistrust I shall have to come home and learn to spin linen.  You said, Mother had made you a visit.  I wish she would come & see me.  I have three of the smartest girls in Christendom.  I was telling Clark that I believed the baby was the smartest young one we had!  He said I just told him that to make him think it would pay to raise more!  But if I thought it would have any such effect I would have told him the young one was a Boob!  For I don’t like this business.

Clark is very busy.  The mail comes in twice every day, Four times on Saturdays.  The worst of it is, it comes in the night.  O. T. Wait made us a weeks visit a short time ago.  He talks of going across the Plains again next summer.  He doesn’t seem to care much about going back to Ohio. There are sights of people going West all the time.  But for my part I am as far west as I ever expect to be.  But we have not got to the Promised Land as yet!  California and Oregon are the places.  But I think people may go the world over to find the best place and still keep on looking.  I believe you will be 43 years old the 10^th of this month.  I don’t know for certain.  It don’t seem long ago that our mother was only forty.  It will not take me long to be that.  I can see that I am growing old..  I have a good many grey hairs.  But thanks to Lafe Patch my teeth are good yet.  We have plenty of Walnuts, hazel nuts, hickory nuts are bitter.  Butter nuts don’t grow here.  We have lots of honey but no maple.  Have plenty of sorghum.  We had a bushel of peaches last Fall.  Three bushels of apples.  Peaches grow here. Apples are brought here, from Missouri $1.00 per bu.  

I had a Missouri girl living with us through the winter.  She was 15 yrs old. Had never been to school but 3 wks in her whole life.  I was glad to get rid of her.  There has been a good deal of sickness about here.  This winter many deaths.  We have had no serious sickness as yet. I wasn’t to go back to Ohio and see you all once more.  I have no idea if any of you will ever come to see me.

Tell Oat that Charlie has been to school about 9 months in last year.  Charley goes to Sunday School. Ida went 4 wks last Fall.  We have to pay $2.50 a term for schooling.  But it is close by.  There are many children in Nebraska that get no schooling at all.  We shall have a free school next summer.  I want you to write and tell me how all the folks get along.  We had a wild goose baked yesterday.  I don’t like them much.  Clark likes wild meat.  I don’t like anything but elk!  That is really good.

We don’t see many Indians now!  I am glad.  I hate them.  Little Rhoda says they show their legs.  Hardly any of them wear anything but blankets.  And they are always begging.  We have a good cow.  Many hens.  And a nice young Pony.  We have eight hundred Dollars in money.  Most of it is U.S. Money.  So, I don’t know how long it will be good.  Now please write soon.

Lovingly,
Lorinda