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Danville Feb 19th 1855Dear Uncle and Aunt

I now sit down to write you concerning the sickness and death of our little one three weeks ago she was with us happy and well as we supposed on monday she took care of herself till almost dark then I discovered that she was unwell but for three days was so as to be on the floor [most] of the time from that time she grew worse verry fast the canker settled in her head and worked down on to the windpipe and for the last three days she had every appearance of croup, for 2 days she

could not make a loud noise if you ever see a child die if croup you can judge what her sufferings were a person could hear her breathe all over the house and for the last 24 hours her struggles for breath were so hard that it was impossible for me to hold her and as soon as she felt them comeing on she would put out her little hands to her father with a look that plainly said pa take only once did she try to speak then her lips moved pa pa but she could make no sound the sight of tears seemed to pain her and about 15 minutes before she breathed her last I think she knew us and from that time she sank down into a kind of

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slumber and breathed her last without a struggle on sabbath morning Feb 11th at 3 oclock aged 1 year 7 months 17 days we have every to believe that she is happy and they tell us that we had ought to be thankful that she was taken but is it not hard to kiss this rod that smites pray for us that we may meet her in the better land

your afflicted nieceM.F H

Love to aunt L

if you would see some of her hair look at Emma,s the length is all the