In my room at Athens, O.

Tuesday, Apr. 13th, 1869

Dear Sister;

I rec'd Wm.'s letter on Saturday, and as I ought to write to each one of the family I will answer his letter by writing to you, and answer your letter (when I get it) by writing to some one else. I suppose I have been as busy since I came here as I ever was in my life; the days are all entirely too short for me, and I have not a half hour of spare time to get homesick in. It is now 9 1/2 P. M., and I ought to be in bed, but I want you to get this letter on Friday, and I must write it to-night.

I am studying Latin, Algebra, and Geometry. We have to take long lessons, so that I am busy, busy, busy in trying to keep in the front rank of the class. Many in the class are very stupid and Prof. Adney sometimes comes next to getting out of humor with them. I would like to enter into particulars, but have not time. There are some 80 students here, and I have got acquainted with 40 or 50 of them -- Dowd, Huges, Miesse, Meinnich, Stanley, Carpenter, Hall, Hornbrook, and many others whose names you will find in the Catalogue. I have been treated as well as any one could ask or hope for, especially by the Faculty; and get along very pleasantly with all. I have a roommate -- Elmer Hamlin Jackson -- who, while I am writing, is seated with me at the table tugging away at his Latin Grammar. He is a brother of John Collin Jackson (in the Catalogue), was never here before, came off a farm, and is almost a perfect Matthew Joseph Grimshaw in his characteristics. We live on bread, butter, meat, and potatoes -- our boarding costs about $1.50 a week (apiece). I do the most of the cooking, and know already just how to fry meat right and boil potatoes (of course not a very complex culinary knowledge).

My watch has never been sent on from Portsmouth, I suppose, as I have never received it. I suppose that A. Coriell is waiting until I send on the money to pay for fixing it. I wish when any of you go to town you would call and see if that is what is the matter, and if it is pay Mr. Coriell and tell him to express it immediately to my address at Athens and then I can send you the money whenever I know how much it is. It will probably be about $1.50.

As I cannot afford to lose much sleep (I get up every morning at 5 o'clock, when the first bell rings), I must bring my letter to a close, although I could write ten times as much as I have written. The S. S. in the M. E. Church here is a superb thing -- there are seldom less than 150 present. I cannot go into detail now. The preacher, Rev. Jameson, is an old man, with hair and a beard as white as snow. He is a very good preacher. I expect to hear A. B. See, the Presiding Elder, next Sabbath, at Quarterly Meeting.

I have got acquainted with H. H. Brown from near Coolville, who is a fervent admirer and friend of R. D. Morgan. He is (what I probably could not better designate) a wag. I have not heard from R. D. yet.

Please let me know all about the S. S. and everything else.