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113 5. Struggling against Sickness uvWWVU As Harriet’s health deteriorates, her children’s early training in responsibility serves the family well. Julia, for instance, helps out with Harriet’s correspondence. In April 1856,Julia’s report to her mother’s family in Lowell reveals that Odanah and La Pointe have become lively places and that things go well at the mission. Dear Grandfather, Our family are all well except mother. She has been very sick, but is better now. She walks the house and has been out to ride a few times. We have got another little brother he has got a good deal of long black hair and mother says that I must send some of it to you because it looks so much like yours.There are several houses in Odanah now.David Green has got a very pretty one whitewashed inside and out. We intend to have a boarding school here sometime and Mr. Stoddard has received orders from Government to put up a large warehouse to put the payment goods in. The Indians are now in their sugar bushes. I wish I could send you some of the nice sugar that they are making but there are no boxes going to Lowell. Little Freddy talks a great deal about his grandpa and oen asks where Grandpa lives. If the children do anything naughty he says, “Well, grandfather won’t love you.” Some times he looks up in to the clouds and says,“I see grandpa. ” c h a p t e r f i v e 114 Mother says she would like to write you very much but she is not able to.We all want to visit Lowell very much and perhaps we shall in the course of a year or two. We shall have to go to school soon. Mother promised us that when we had got five hundred dollars,we might go and when we have sold our potatoes we shall just about have five hundred dollars, but mother thinks that we shall have to wait a year or two for father cannot leave the station just now. From your affectionate granddaughter Julia Wheeler Odanah April 1856 Dear Aunt Julia, I wish you would come out here next summer. We do not think you would be lonesome here for we probably will have a great deal of company for the payment is to be made here and if you want to go home next fall,there will be plenty of gentlemen to escort you home as far as Cleveland. There were a great many strangers at La Pointe last summer. Five hundred came up on one boat.Mr.Gilbert,the Indian agent was among them and so was Senator [Lewis] Cass1 and there were four other senators. Grace Greenwood,2 a cousin of Mr. Gilbert, was up here. She is rather odd; she has got a beautiful full eye and a nose almost as large as mother. She was writing a new work last summer called, I believe, The Indian. We had two pleasure boats that came up here; among them was the commissioner Senator Stevens.3 Senator Robley and his wife wanted to come but she said “she had mercy on mother”; she had so much company she was afraid it would make her sick. Can you send me a few flower seeds? I should like some annual climbing vine.Can you send the crimson Cyprus vine and the white and buff Hibernian? You can put them right in an envelope and direct the letter to father and it will go free of postage for he is postmaster. All letters must hereaer be directed to Odanah Lapoint Co. Wisconsin. Mother and all the children including myself send their love to you. s t r u g g l i n g a g a i n s t s i c k n e s s 115 From your affec niece Julia Wheeler uvWWVU Finally, Harriet puts her latest baby to bed and writes her parents in May 1856. I t is now almost half past ten at night.I have just finished the labors of the day and laid my dear little Jean in his cradle for the night.I am too tired to write a long letter,but I thought I could not let the boat leave tomorrow without taking a few lines to you to let you know that you have a daughter in...

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