Letter from Samuel Thomas Greene to his brother, George Frye Greene

Belleville, Ont

25th Nov 1882

My dear George:

Excuse this style of paper. It is out of my writing pad as it is more convenient for me to write before the hall stove - it being a very cold and stormy day. I was so glad to get your short but very welcome letter. I am, so are we all, glad that you have moved to South Paris. You sh'd have done it long ago. I think you did a very wise thing to find a place to work in that manufactury as it is easy and comfortable. If it suits you & if it agrees with you stay there always unless you find a better place. What has become of our dear old home? Who has taken it - Did you take every thing out of the house? horse, cows, carriages? Did you take the spring with you?!!! - I think I saw that machine which does the heeling when I visited there. Is it in the 3rd story, North East? The foreman of the girls department was very kind to conduct me through the building - a very interesting enterprise indeed. His name I forgot. He could talk on both hands. If you speak to him about me, he might remember me. If so, remember me to him. How do you go home from the shop & come down in the morning? I think I know where your new house is. It must be a delightful place for Eddie when he is so near the railroad. Indeed it was kind of your friends to help you moving. I feel so grateful to them. Evidently you are high in their esteem.

I have been just out to milk the cow, and it is still snowing hard. Poor me, I have to wade through to the Inst in the morning, thus giving my Bicycle a rest. Don't you have to milk? Do you have to buy wood & c - It is nice for you & Dora to live near her friends. Now George, be careful of yourself since the change you just made may be so great that it may affect you for a little while - Our sitting room is beautifully decorated with the ferns which I picked while I was in North Waterford.

Fire! Fire! The firebells are ringing. The children & cassy are up stairs to see where it is-

They say, some outbuilding on the edge of the river just across the foot bridge - Poor firemen they must have hard work in this dreadful snow storm.

The ferns which are on these walls are simply lovely - & Cassy is in love with them. I will send you a photo. of mine. I sat last week. What do you think of it - any like Sammy? I will return Dr Little's photo - too - I love him, why? because he was so goodand kind to poor Wm and was with him when he died - O Lord preserve our dear brother who was buried at sea till the Judgement Day when we will all be together.

Why don't you live in Norway instead of S. P. as the manufactory is in the former place? How is Dora, Eddie & Alice? Have they forgotten me - show them my picture. & see if they will say "O Uncle Sam". Howard is happy at the idea of having a slide on his sled tomorrow, it snowing hard now. Do you remember when I was a boy, I used to beat all the boys to pieces on my sled "Fire Zonave". also that famous slide down the pasture hill, on a board upon two slabs which were stolen from our mother's ash barrel - and then I came in a collision with a fence - I did the fence more harm than it did me! - Do you remember, examining a large star on the ice on the meadow after, caused by my falling while trying on my new red skates. You acted like an astronomer, and I felt like smashing you for laughing at me in _____ sleeves.

We have a large number of pupils up at the Institute - 262 - They were sorry to lose me at the Iowa Inst. They say that I may get another offer next year. But I prefer to live near you - & will if I can, especially if they will carry out the promise to raise my salary to $1000 - in January.

Do you intend to raise potatoes on a new plan at your new place? I will do mine here -

Now, like a good boy, write and answer all the questions, and if you do, I'll give you a good mark (10) but if you don't, you are no good sole, and I will prick you on and make you show your heels - Love to Dora, Eddie, & Alice, from Cassie, Howard, Bessie, Sarah, Octavia, and Sam who is your aff brother --------