Dear Ad

Another New Year has come and to me it has been filled with thoughts of him who was with us at Anna's last year. I can not realize that he is gone nor that I shall never see father again. I wish you would put by some little thing that was Tommy's¹ for me. Something that I have seen him have. I hope to be back to get it in the course of the next three years. This is strictly between you and I, but we expect to either make or break in that time, and in either case are going back to Illinois.

Newcomb was home a week or so before the holidays. He did not stay but a few days. He brought a wagon load of chickens and eggs for me to sell during the holidays. I have sold all the eggs, 80 doz. at 50 cents per doz. And most all the chickens at 50 cents a piece. He gets the eggs from the Mexicans for from 15 cents to 25 cents a doz. in trade. The chickens for about the same price. They are doing a very fair business with the Mexicans.

I have a good many invitations to parties this last week, but declined them all except a dinner at our next door neighbors. Perhaps the bill of fare would be a curiosity to you. Beef steak, boiled potatoes, rye and Indian bread, biscuits, canned peaches, cake and mince pie was all.

At their dancing parties here the ladies dress very nicely while the men likely as not have on jeans or buckskin pants and everything else according. Let me tell you of some of the dresses at the Christmas ball. One lady wore white cashmere trimmed with white satin, white kid gloves and slippers. Another green silk velvet trimmed with white satin and point lace. Another garnet satin trimmed with white lace. Another a green Irish poplin with black gros grain overdress. Two sisters were in green tarletan with black bustle net overdresses and scarlet flowers in their hair and in their bosoms and trailing all over their dresses. And at the same time these very same people go home to log cabins of one or two rooms, many of them with bare floors. But this is Western style. One thing is certain, you cannot put off anything cheap or shoddy on them. When they undertake to have a thing nice, it is nice and they expect to pay for it too. Still times are very hard here and money very scarce. There are a good many here who can scarcely get enough to eat. One firm has failed and I am afraid we will lose something by them, although they say they will pay up if they can have time.

The weather is very mild and pleasant. No snow, no storms of any kind, just perpetual sunshine. It has not been cold enough to prevent the children from playing out of doors every day. You have no idea how fast those little rascals grow. Eddie is as cunning as a fox, and is petted by everyone. He looks so comical in his red flannel drawers and he is very nice and clean about them too. Charley is just as good as can be. He takes good care of Eddy. They go round hold of hands most of the time. Charlie remembers everything that ever happened while he was with you. The other day he got to talking about Philip and Celia. Finally he says "They have got three boys only one of them is a girl." No says 1, only two. I had forgotten Andy. "No" he says, "one big boy and one little boy that ran about the house with me on his shoulder and hurt my head." You must give my love to Celia and Philip and tell them I thank them many times for their kindness to poor Tommy. As for myself, I am well and never felt in better health. But I have to work awful hard. I have so much to attend to. There is washing and ironing, mending, cooking, sewing, the store, chickens and pig besides the children. 1 have the use of a Florence sewing machine as pay and use, for storage and commission for it. Have got so I can run it quite well.

Give my love to Grandma and Grandpa

Yours,

Alice Newcomb

¹ Tom (Tommy) -- Tom Truesdell, brother of Alice Russell Newcomb

Letter courtesy of Peggy Newcomb Barr
This page was produced by Bob Newcomb in Brea, CA