Kind and affectionat [affectionate] companion

after the cares and bustle the day has passed and the children are in bed sweetly sleeping in silence I sit myself to address a few lines to you. I hardly know how to begin or where to commence. but I will first tell you that we are all well and enjoying good health. we have had no sickness in our family since the death of James which you no doubt have herd [heard] before this excepting the measles. the children have all had a lower with them but got along with them nicely. and I sincerely hope that this is a blessing which you have enjoyed since you left us two weeks ago to day [today]. I received a letter from you which we had a long time been looking for and had almost despaired of getting. this gladened [gladdened] our hearts I assure you when we perused its contents, although we were sorry to hear that you had such a tedious time on the last end of your journey but it was not more than we might have expected it was so late when you started, but we took courage thinking that those days are all passed and that you lived through them and the old cow did not eat up the grind stone and that you might be in a better condition now. although you may be in a far worse one for what I know, perhaps you may be in the bottom of the sea. I know not, although I have seen by the Millenniel [Millenial] star that you had arrived safe in Liverpool, so I think you are safe over the atlantick [Atlantic] any how however a tedious time you might have had. yet I trust that that being who continually sustains us will watch over you and preserve you from the many dangers and evils with which you may be surrounded, but I want to caution you a little about taking care of your self you wrote that your lungs were more or less affected. all last winter with a cold and cough now I want you to considder [consider] that you are not made of iron neither of steel nor of brass but of that kind of material that much hard labour [labor] and successive toil will wear out. I well know what you are. when you get to preaching you know not how high you voice runs nor how you exhert [exert] yourself nor when to leave off so I want you to take up with my advice and take a little care of your self. Sister Louisa is dead, she died last June she was truly a sufferer and bore it with as much patience as ever any mortal being could. for days she could not be moved only upon a sheet and could not mover her limbs only as they were moved for her. she had her senses till the last moment. she said many things to me after she had not strength to speak in her own language and spoke in the gifts of tongues. she spoke of you and said that great was the task that was before you. and although you should pass through scenes that would seem to be more than mortal man could endure yet you should live and return home again. there has been some few deaths since I last wrote one or two of which I will mention Father Lot and father Sessions are both dead and some others that I am not acquainted with many of our of the brethren have died on the way this summer the last account there had about one hundred died of Cholera though but few in comparison to the numbers that have died among the emigration to the gold mines it is one continual scene of grave yard from the Missouri river to fort Laramie and mostly Missourians. our brethren are coming in daily the emigration is great to this place this summer there is from ten to twelve hundred waggons [wagons] on the way here the Doctor arrived about two weeks ago in good health and spirits about a week after he arrived he took him a wife her name was Amy Rose she is an English girl one that he brought with him from England so you see that Melissa is traveling in the same road that the rest of us poor souls have had to walk in she bears it first rate Mothers health has not been verry [very] good this summer. I can see that she fails Willards [Willard Snow] family are all well Malvina has a fine boy Mary Bingham Sow [?] has a daughter your sister Mary health is about as usual. Brother Nobles folks all well Sister Mary health is better than it was when you left Sister Ashbys family all well she has a daughter your brother William is on the road here I suppose you would like to know how we get along with our affairs at home we have got along verry [very] well this summer so far Charles has been alone this summer has had no one to help him but notwithstanding all we have raised a plenty to eat and some to spare to our brethren that are coming and all is peace in our midst as far as I know Charles and Eliza Ann are still living in the log room and also Minerva Elizabeth is living with Susan Stringham her health is verry [very] poor about these times. Eliza Ann looks first rate about then days or at least you would say so if you were here. we have had no news from the boys direct to us since they they [sic] left Henry has written to his wife he said they had a pretty hard time going through last fall they all got out of provisions before they got through and had to stop and work a month at the French settlement to get supplies they lost two of their animals and the others were so weak they were hardly able to carry their bedding and they had to foot it three hundred miles they have appointed Edgar to go on a mission to the Pacifick [Pacific] Islands with brother Pratt he did not say how they had he said some days he done first rate and other days he did not make his board did not know whether he should return this fall or not as for the publick [public] news there is no kneed [need] of my writing that the minutes of our conference and the proceedings of the twenty fourth you will get in the publick [public] print you no doubt will have the millenniel [Millenial] star sent to you and I wish that it could so be manageded [managed] so as to have it sent to me. for by so doing perhaps I might hear from you oftener than I otherwise should we are verry [very] much obliged for the presents you are sending us and hope you have not deprived yourself of the things that you kneed [need] for your comfort on your journey to acomodate [accommodate] us groceries of all kinds are verry [very] high here this season sugar is now selling forty cts [cents] per pound the cheapest that it has been selling for this season coffee at the same price and tea accordingly one sack of the sugar has already arived [arrived] here and I understood that Brother Woodruff was a bringing the balance we have supplied ourselves quite comfortably with the most necessary articles of clothing that we needed by our own earnings I myself have earned somewhere about 40% by sewing for other people and brading [braiding] straw hats to sell to the emigrants and other various ways the girls have done the same I have not spent many leisure hours this summer so according to your doctrine the money has not had much chance to sow tares if I knew that was as well off I would be thankful I like to have forgotten to tell you that brother Flake and Bills have died at the mines Brother Flake was thrown from one of his white mules and lived seven hours only Bill died of a fever Sister [Alta] is married to Brother Brunson also Jane Giles to Brother Turley Erastus [Elder Erastus Snow 1818-1888] I need not tell you that I pass most a lonesome hour that you must be aware of if it were not for my children that take up my time and attention I should hardly know how to pass away time. I go to meeting every Sabbath and try to have time pass of [off] as agreeable as possible Little Artimesia is a pratling [prattling] about from morning till night and says Papa has gone to ? I envy many be the scenes that may transpire in our sepparation [separation] yet I trust nothing but what will result in our greatest good although many a towering mountain or lofty billow may separate us yet I trust that there are ties that unite our hearth that time nor distance cannot erase. I often dream of you. I saw you the other night return I thought you had filled your mission and come home. I went to meeting with you after preaching was over I saw the Lords supper prepared expresly [expressly] for you saw you partake thereoff [thereof] and then retire to a private room to receive some annointings [anointings] I awoke and it was a dream I must close for I have no more room I shall expect to see you agreeable to your promise two years from next October Steping [stepping] out of the cars or if not out of the cars out of a covered waggon [wagon] in Salt Lake City without fail this from your true and affectionate companion in life, in death, and I trust in the morning the ressurection [resurrection] of the Just A Snow [Artimesia Beman Snow 1819-1882]

king that those days are all passed and that you lived through them and the old cow did not ea