all her little ones John Fare well with love ever the same John Muir Merrill has gone to Salem Oregon to spend the winter
with his uncle 00637 Yosemite Valley Dec 19th 72 My dear Sister Sarah Your long good letter dated Oct 27th is received
I am always glad to hear from any part of home though I may sometimes seem slow in replies It is not because of lack of love
but only because of the amount of work I have on my hands I mean to give up letter writing in a great measure because it consumes
too much of my time in spite of all my hiding so far in the Mtns is constantly increasing. George s picture I knew at once.
My friends com- pelled me to sit for my picture in town last month. I was