Otsego Stuben Co IndOct 10 1883Dear Brother & Sister

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I once more embrace the opportunity of writing a few lines to you to inform you that our health is as good as usual and hope this will find you enjoying the same blessing we have a verry old summer and early frosts the corn crop is the poorest that I have ever known it since I came west there is not half of an ordinary crop the wheat crop was fair crop oats and hay was a large crop pottatos and fruit of all kinds a light crop I rented my place and have since the death of my wife have lived with Seth Jagua the man who married Verona Lemuel was here last Sunday his health was as good as usual he sends his love to you and your family give my love to Craig and his family and Ella and Adella and there families and to Daniel and Lydia and all enquiring friends tell Mary her card and was glad to here that she got through safe and was enjoying her visit Tell her that if nothing happens more than we know of now that Lemuel and I will go home with her

and spend the winter there tell her to send us a card when she will be here so that we may be ready we want to stop at [Lindeville] to see Lymans folks I was in hopes that you would have come out and see us this summer my wife sickness and funeral expenses cost us so much that I had not the means to come and Mary and i do not know as , I shall ever be able to come and see you again for I [feel] that my cource is about run and soon it will be said of me he has gone to that [     ] from whence no traveller returns and if we never meet here again I have hopes that we shall meet where parting seasons will be over it is quite a task for me to write my hand trembles so that I suppose that it will trouble you to read it write as often as you can I wish I could see you more I have nothing more of importance so I will close for this time by wishing you a [          ] that your names are written in the Lambs book of life

from your loving BrotherLemuel Colton