Again I have two boys the eldest 13. The younger nearly 10 years hearty fellows that will soon spoil for work of active employment
There are 4 girls the eldest nearly 12 and the youngest over 3 years. now something like this would be immense for the boys
and if opportunites for education are good might be also better for the girls The? regard to California it will surely be
a wonderful country if it has not some drawbacks but at any rate judging from the southewestern movement the good points must
far exceed the bad or people are led to think so at least The prices of land is going skyward but that is qutie a national
course for the way it is the climate they are selling but I suppose a poor fellow can get considerable climate from even a
small piece of ground which will be lucky for me The biggest joke for me will be for me to get there. My better half thinks
she already far enough from her base and 2000 miles to the south west is not to be entertained. We have a little congregation
of Disciples here it was started about 2 1/2 years ago and til lately has been fighting for life: Now it is just beginning
to show that it is one of the powers for good and you know me well enough to judge where I would be in it Not the most prominent
nor by any means the least active The piece of them o who have heard of your proposition say Oh you wont go away and leave
us now You must stay for a good while yet Well I would like to go you may be sure but their very fears indicate the probably
course I have said about enough You have an idea how I feel about the whole business. A little nearer nature would please
me very much I spent 3 weeks in Oct 1993 on the prarires of Manitoba after a nearly 3 months term of mill building at Winnepeg
It was about as enjoyable a time as I most ever sepnt the extra physical vigor it gave was surprising I was then for a while
the proud owner of a half section of land. I saw Dan Dr. Muir I mean he was up to Portage and before returning sent word
he would call on me I was obliged just at that time to Chicago on some little buseinss for our firm so he accompanied me as
far as Racine It gave us only a short chat but we did our best for the time You will of course write as soon as convenient
giving me a pretty full idea of the business undertaking and the general condition of things Facts and figures pro and con
are the main stay in business and mechanics as well You know all this better than I do I alone will be responsible for the
course I take I wont say John Muir advised me I suppose your place is in the southern part where rain is scanty and a scientific
system of irrigation is resorted to you tap the mountain that taop the clouds and get rain without thunderstorms or Hurricanes