Harrisburg Jan. 27th 1864
Dear Clara,


I expect all my letters contain very old news for you, as Sid somehow always gets ahead of me, but you will have to excuse that, as we both tell all we know. I am glad you enjoyed your Holidays so much. I told Mary Kerr, you wanted her to write, and she said she would. On last Saturday night, the girls and boys were at our house playing cards and I asked the girls if you owed letters, Jennie Boas either [undecipherable] or Mary Cox, I forget which said it was your turn to write to them, so you better commence.

Last Friday night a week ago, Alice Frozor [sic] had a dance and we were enjoying ourselves very much, when someone rang the bell for Hattie Bird, they said Bessie was worse. It was Beckie and Wills Orth and Emma King. While Hattie was getting ready, they told us Bessie was dead. She had not been out of her room for a week, but was sitting up dressed before the fire warming her feet. Mary the little servant and Mrs. Bird were in the room; the last words Bessie said were to the little servant: she said, Mary, go nearer to the light, you can see better. In a few minutes her mother looked around and Bessie's head was hanging down, and when her mother got to her she was dead. Was not that dreadful? The doctor said an ab-cess had formed about her heart. She was only sixteen, the next Sunday she would have been seventeen. She was buried on Monday, we all went to the grave; it was pouring and raining. Hattie is going to stay in mourning.

On Inauguration day, Sid, Mary Kerr, Jennie Boas, Alek. Thompson, Hum Berghaus, and Mr. Ketchum, came to our house about ten o'clock. We saw the procession, and then went up to the Capital, where Russell King joined us. We heard part of the Governor's speech, and then went up to Russell King's room, and had some apples. In the evening we all went down to Sid's. Wills Orth came for me, and Mr. Ketchum for Mary Kerr. They had beautiful fireworks in the square, but we missed them all. On Friday evening I was getting ready to go down to Cox's when Mr. Ketchum came for me to go skating by moon-light. Mary K. then came in and she went with us. The older set had a party but did not invite us. On the ice Beckie Russel, Alek. Thompson and Russell King joined us. We staid [sic] on the ice till ten o'clock, and then went for oysters, and got home at eleven. On Sunday night Mr. Ketchum and Mrs. Bird were confirmed. I am not going to School at present as three of the boarders have the scarlet fever and Ma is afraid I might get it. Tell Bell and Nell I will write the last of this week to them. The girls unite with me in sending much love to you and all the girls.

Write soon. Your loving friend, Rachel Pollock