San Jose, Cal.,May 22d 1887My dear Katie

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Your very welcome letter came duly to hand and I will delay no longer in answering the same and to tell you how glad I was to hear from you for it is so seldom I hear from your folks that I have allmost forgoten I have any relatives in old Vt. I can hardly realize that you are a young lady for when I think of you I see you as you were when I last saw a little chuby girl but then and now are a long distance apart and time makes such great changes that one can scarcely realize its stern realities I am glad to know that you are doing so well in your school and I trust your fondest hopes may be realized and that your future may be one of usefullness We are all quite well and enjoy our selves with

all our plesant surroundings better I will venture to say than a majority of people for we all try to take the world easy and make all we can out of life for it is so short that it should be well spent Carlie is doing finely in his school which is 1/2 mile from our house he is spending a few days in Berkley and San Francisco but will be back tomorrow for this week is examination and his school will close June 2d and then I will give him a great treat for I am going with him and his mama to Yosemite Valley will be gone a month for we will drive our own team and camp out all the time the round trip will be 500 miles and there is nothing like it in the world there is but one Yosemite and [one] grove of big trees when we return I will try and find you some [    ] of our Journey and what we see how much I would like to have you to go along with us This is a great place to camp out

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for at this season until fall there is no rain to fear and the nights are cool and lovely so one can sleep any where you have doubtless heard that I have stoped traveling and am now dealing in real estate and I can assure you I like the change for now I am at home and am my own boss. and can come and go as I please but I may go on the road again I was in S.F. last week and I had several offers one of $350 per month if I would only go to work but no I am going to Yosemite if I never make a dollar and I can make as much money in this business as traveling Oh how I would like to see old Vt. for there is no spot where I have as many plesant associations outside of my boy house. Now my darling little Katy do write me often for your old uncle Ed. loves to hear from you tell ma-ma to write How I wish I could send you some of our beautiful flowers we have 30 varieties of roses all in bloom We all join in the best wishes for your wellfare and love to you and all the family

Your Aff UncleEd.