Four Mile July 17th 1863 Dear Lyle I seat my self to day to scratch a few lines to you I have been thinking I wold write to you evry week for a long time but I have been So busy and I never was good at writing letters by pieces I have stil delayed writing I have stil heard from you by Marys letters & suppose she has been giving you all the news but no more apologies excuse my neglect  we are enjoying tolerable health at this time your mother was quite unwell the fore part of this week  She took cold it settled in her jaw and throat  She suffered very much for three or four days  She is able to be about again  Cyrus has rather poor health this summer  he has not been much sick but has been troubled with pain in his Shoulders  he has not been able to do much work since we planted our corn  we put in about as much crop as Stuart & him both was able to tend it caused Stuart & me both to work a little harder than was agreable but we have had a very favorable season  I don't know that we have been hindred one day with rain
