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Dearest mother,

I rec'd your letter of March 28—you must have had rather a dreary time this winter, the cold & storms, & being left so much alone—but now I think the spring is upon us, & I think it will be pleasant enough there all summer—

Dear mother, I have not much to write this time—I am feeling very well—no trouble in the head, nor any thing, so far—I get along very well in my boarding house—the landlady is a young woman, from New York State—but she works in the Treasury & leaves things to her servants, black women—I like her very well—& the place is probably as good a one as I could get—In the Office every thing is just the same—Ashton expects to leave next May or June.

We have had very pleasant weather here this week—only sometimes the dust is bad—I went to the Hospital Sunday & shall go again this afternoon—Kephart, that had bleeding at the lungs, & pneumonia, is quite recovered—when I came away, he walked out a few blocks with me—there are one or two pretty bad cases that I go to see, yet—

Washington is filled with darkies—the men & children & wenches swarm in all directions—(I am not sure but the North is like the man that won the elephant in a raffle)—I was glad you wrote about the little girls—Tell Hattie and sis Uncle Walt sends his love to them, & is coming home to see them.

Walt.