Connecticut western news., 1884-11-12
--.-- ------ The OIdahed Correspondence.
Farmer Oldshed's first letter to his sister, Mrs Belinda James of Mountain

i Farmer Oldshed's first letter to his sister, Mrs Belinda James of Mountain vile, Penn. :-
 "Sykestown, Vt, Sept 10, 1884 ! l[y Dear Sister Belindg Its a long time since you see each other X ofen kinder feel like meetin each other | hear me talk But since I'v been havin so much laysure 1t will give me some considerable satisfackshun to rite.
 You know we never had no edication wen I was boy and wus brought up among back country folks who had to work hard. But since the R. R. cum straight thro mi farm X made me rich < mi gals wont let me work < I rather like the idee miself have powerful amount of engiury to blow off sum way, I'm a edicatin miself But then as you no I'm powerful independent also little con fused with mi nu old stile < so some times rites larned some times old-fash- und. Sometimes I forgit & sometimes gifts tired sometimes l puts in, the, punkchewashun; marks! <. more times? don't bother mi-head with em-. That ere dash is a mity handy thing < I've seen-larned folks-writins who seemed-to-have mity parshallity for it. It cums in-good-most-any- wear Sometimes too I spells careful < looks up every word but its is hard slow work < soon wears me out X some times don't spells the same woerdsa good meny difrunt ways acordin to sin cum-stand-ces - Sometimes l rites Dick-shun-a-rye stile, < sometimes I lets mi feelins have control. I've hearn tell of poet-tickle-lie sense the abdye is wat I take it to be. Mi sun Jons bin to col lige mi gals to boardin skool X kinder wants me to give up mi old fashyuned ways of Twin talkin sometimes they reprooves%s < correcks me in company which Idont like < answer back pritty sharp, but on the whole am agreeable t if you find eny large words here that you don't understand or I-dears eethur, you may lay 1t to these lacks follow mi xample-I lissen putty sharp wen they and their visitors is talkin picks up a considerable inflammation och-case- shun-he big woerd that souns quite gran. Jon he giv me a big Dickshun- ary almost as big as dog house I use it a good-eel because hurd Danel Web ster say its the greatest book in creation as his name is on the outside he ought to know. And If the boys in collidge have to turn over such heavy books as this all day for Twin they cant be so lazy after all. Sometimes I look up a big word < yud be astonished to see how much meanin there Is in one. For in stance there's one looked up the other day-its In 'ter-foT -h-a' -ceous, somethin about botany 4 its pronounced into-fool- a-shust There's the into-fool-ashust flower which represent the into-fool-I- slush people. who are tryin hard to turn themselves into fools will be mity suck cesful about it. take a noosepaper t6o, ten years of which they do say is as good as a collige edicashun. There all gaai- vantin somewhere now or I would send some word about them. Be sure and answer this letter pritty soon.
 From yure Of-feck-shun-s brother
 JONATHAN EDWARDS OLDsHED.
 P. s. Please don't let too many folks see this, as I'm terrible modest ooI 1or+ l;l-a t0 have ,,an,,Ia 4aI1-;r