His apostrophes Andiew's letters are punctuated the more accurate reliable He the letter He also every Also Doctor Hopkinsville December 30th I83I My Dear Father & Mother A I Recvd Sister Eliza S letter some weeks ago in which she chides nie for my long silence. I must confess I have been longer silent than I should have been, but I assure you it is not because I have forgot any of you no, not a feature of your faces for ever when asleep my even thoughts rest with sattisfaction & pleasure on my Father's fire side. One of my reasons for not writing sooner was the expectation of Sister Eliza's letter as Br. Robt. in his last spoke of her writing. another of my reasons were, expecting that Br.William would have written to, Jas. or myself before this time büt we have not had a word - from him since I came here. I thought if he had wrote I might probably be able to give you some knowledge of his intentions or at least I could have let you know the curpose of his letter. But I suppose as he had little to say in excuse for his conduct to you he has thought it proper to be silent. you know he was always good at holding his peace when it suited him. I have wrote a long letter to him which will go in the same mail with this, in which I let him know my mind plainly. I let him know that I care not for corresponding with a Brother who has yet to learn how to behave as a Son. When I recvd. Sister Eliza's letter I was confined to my bed with the Typhus fever. I had a pretty severe attack but with the blessing of God & the attendance of two doctors I was able to attend to business$ in five weeks. fily fever had entirely abated in the first two weeks but it left me so weak & debilitated that it was three weeks more before I had gathered sufficient strength to attend to business. I am now entirely recovered & in good health & more fleshy than I have been for twelve months past. I have had a loud warning in my late sickness to attend to the concerns of my Soul more than my body. when a person is lying on a sick bed it is then they feel that the whole world would be nothing to them if they were to loose their own Souls. Dear Father I recvd. great sattisfaction by. sending your letter to Jas. which came at the same time Sister Eliza's did. Oh how thankful I should be that I have still a Father& Mother in the land of the living to advise & admonish me. I hope your 2. Fatherly advice to us may not be lost. though I belong to no religious sect yet, I hope I have religious impressions that will never be obliterated but though I am moral yet I cannot say I am religious. I know morality is very good in its place but it will not do in place of religion. I need advice I need admonition in the midst of a world where little but sin abounds indeed I must say it abounds greatly here for we have many infidels among us, in principle & in practice) & who is more fit to give that admonition than Father who I hope has not yet forgot me. I am almost at a loss how to express myself when I go to speak of the kind & affectionate treatment I received from Br. Jas. & Sister Eliza during my late illness particularly Sister Eliza as James had to attend to his business. She watched over me almost night & day with unremitting attention & attended to all my wants & endeavoured to cure my pain by every means in her power as if I had been her Brother indeed. Yes I hope my Dear Mother will excuse me if I say she watched over melike a Mother. Indeed I shall cease to have gratitude when I forget her kind attention which in a great measure