File:Caroline Frances Appleton to Fanny Appleton, 10 August 1833 (74a6e55f-2fa7-4ff8-824d-929346186c78).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1011/002.002-002#003

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[endorsed:] Caroline. A. / Aug. 1833_
[addressed:] Miss Frances E. Appleton / Care Mr. Charles Appleton/ Boston / Mass
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Lowell August 16th 1833,
I was agreeably surprised “ma chere cousin” to find that after your return to the city you did not quite forget us “country rats ” Annotated transcription is attached. I think from your account that you must be passing a tolerably stupid time at your city, I am sorry that I cannot give a better account of my beauteous self I sew, read and play, day after day, as regularly as clock work, no variation, except looking out of the window to see how fast Lowell is being covered with sand, we have storms of sand almost every day, as bad every bit as those you read of in the deserts! My worms are situated more comfortably than their mistress for their different changes are done and they have taken leave of this life very soon, so you see I have not even them to cheer my solitary hours. Talking of your being plagued to death with the flies, I can recomend [sic] a capital fly-killer, one who is quite an old hand at the business [sic], and one whom if you had her would soon stop your complaints; it is no one more or less than my honourable Mother! I will be setting woking [sic] very demurely by the side of “Ma” when all of a sudden up she starts and takes up a book, and woe betide the fly that comes within her clutches, how she manages to be so plagued with them I cannot account for, (for they never touch me!) unless it is the spirits of the murdered flies urging the living one to avenge them, now I always plead for the poor “hanimals” and so they never torment me! but the flies are not the only horrid beasts we have, for the other night, when we had the window’s open it being very hot, in came a whole swarm of flying beetles!
[page 2] I helped Mother kill those for they are horrid! well I thought we had exterminated all of them when going to drink some water the first thing I saw was one swimming in the pitcher I had the greatest temptation to throw the pitcher out of window, after we got into our chamber we thought of course as the lamp was out in the parlour that they would prefer the street, but I had hardly got safe into bed when the first thing I heard was one battering on the wall in the opposite, usually when I hear any animal in the room I cover my head up till they are gone, but the night was too hot to permit that and I had to lay still and give mother notice when I heard one, when she would get up from the table (where she was curling her hair) and the light in one hand and brush in the other, she would hunt the wretched animal till she found then the crash his bones would make, well we keep up our beetle hunt till 10 o’clock! and then I was reduced to perfet [sic] despair, and I sprung out of bed and declared I would not stir to go to bed till I had exterminated the whole race and I kept my promise it was eleven before the candle was out and we resigned ourself to the arms of Morpheus! we killed that night only 23! You will see by this account that my greivances [sic] are no less in comparison than yours. I am glad that the combatants of the [Ton?] have at last proclaimed peace, it is the most ludicrous warfare I have heard of lately, since the ones I used to share in at school! And when does the bashful young widow intend to enter into the matrimonial bands I should think that she had been affiancée about long enough? News you know in Lowell is a thing almost unheard of, scandal is quite a common thing, tho ‘I to be sure never think of such a thing as telling any, [crossed out: tho] but I cannot help hearing a little now and then! I should think that your brother Tom would be in no hurry to come back, after enjoying himself so much on the other side of the atlantic, when do you expect him home? I have endeavoured my dear Fanny to make this letter interesting but I am afraid I have not succeeded, if I have not, [page 3] you must take “the will for the deed?” and remember that Lowell itself is so uninteresting that I have caught unwillingly its infection, remember me to your Father, sister and brother and believe me ever
your most affectionate
cousin Caroline
You must excuse this writing as the pen is bad and I have no knife that will mend a pen at present. Now remember and answer this
or-

• Keywords: correspondence; frances elizabeth (appleton) longfellow; manuscript; document; appleton family; long archives; frances e. a. longfellow papers (long 20257); Correspondence (1011/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Letters to Frances Longfellow (1011/002.002); (LONG-SubseriesName); J.W. Andrews - C.F. Appleton (1011/002.002-002); (LONG-FileUnitName)