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_____________________* 30 March 1889
Dear Friend.
I received your letter and learned from it that you would like to have the
money and I would certainly like to send it to you, but I do not have it
right now. Corn does not bring much now and there is no time for me to
travel, and this winter I have had a lot of turmoil with my donkey. One ran
into the pasture fence and hurt himself, and when he got better again I had
them hoofed in __________* and then the blacksmith made a mistake so that I
could not use him all winter long, but now is better again. I wanted to send
it to you last fall. At that time I intended to fatten pigs, but I could
not. I had to sell them the way they were and I did not get much for them.
They were the Leckland breed. The person who bought them has not succeeded
in fattening them yet, and I have a lot of pigs to feed. However, it took
almost two to three months and then I intended to send it to you if you can
wait that long.
Now I want to conclude my letter, sending you my regards.
C. Better**
*Name of town (in Iowa) could not be determined. Postmark on front of
envelope is not clear, only the date "Mar 29 1889" is legible, below lower
edge remaining of a two-cent stamp. On reverse side of envelope is another
postmark: Rec'd. Council Bluffs, Mar. 30, 1889 - 7 PM, --stamped over
another postmark of which "Atlantic" is barely visible, also "Mar," but
balance of mark has been covered with the Council Bluffs stamping.
On the letter, the town is written in Gothic and not Latin letters, and
appears to something like "Lorok", or "Lorak", resembling no town name on
present Iowa map listing, nor in the 1875 Atlas of Iowa counties in the
library.
** Upon referring to Dad"s Memoirs, it becomes clear that the Xaver Peter
mentioned in letters of 2 October, 1881; 16 May, 1883; and 17 August, 1884,
became known as Pete Betters in Iowa. Dad states he had been corresponding
with him and was to contact him upon arrival in Council Bluffs, but that he
had difficulty locating him because of the change in name. Why he changed
his name is a mystery.
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