c
Buffalo, Nov. 12.
Dear Uncle & Aunt=
I came into the world on the 7th inst., and consequently am about 5 days old, now. I have had wretched health ever since I have made my appearance. First one thing & then another has kept me under the weather. One hour it would be wind—next, indigestion—next, colic—& as a general thing I am have been chilly & uncomfortable.
I am not corpulent, nor am I robust in any way. At birth I only weighed 4½ pounds [ wh ] with my clothes on—& the clothes were the chief feature of the weight, too, I am obliged to confess. But I am doing finely, all things considered. I was at a [standstill ] for 3 days & a half, but during the last 24 hours I have gained nearly an ounce, avo[i]rdupois.
They all say I look very old & venerable—& I am aware, myself, that I never smile. Life seems a serious thing, what I have seen of it—& as my observation teaches me that it is made up mainly of hiccups, disagreeable unnecessary washings, & wind in the bowels. But no doubt you, who are old, have long since grown [ acu accustomed ] & reconciled to what seems to me [such ] a disagreeable novelty.
My father said, this morning, when my face was in repose & thoughtful, that I looked precisely as young Edward Twichell1 of Hartford y used to look some [ 18 12 ] months ago.—chin, mouth, forehead, expression—everything.
My little mother is very bright & cheery, & I guess she is pretty happy, but I don’t know what about. She laughs a great deal, notwithstanding she is sick [abed. And ] she eats a great deal, though she says that is because the nurse desires [it. And ] when she has had all the nurse desires her to have, she asks for more. She is getting along very well indeed.
My aunt Susie Crane has been here some ten days or two weeks, but goes home today & Mrs. Granny Fairbanks of Cleveland arrives to take her place.
I was not due here u on this planet until some about ‸the‸ first week in December, but my mother took a hurried drive to the depot one day & the consequence was that it was all the doctors & nurses could do to keep me from looking in on the family that [night. But ] by faithful exertions they got me staved off till two weeks, & by jings I missed the earthquake.2
But we appear [to ] be all right now, [uncle], & some day we’ll come & see you & my young cousins.3
Very lovingly,
Langdon Clemens.
P. S. Father said I had better [writte], because you would be more interested in me, just now than in the rest of the family.
[letter docketed by Joseph Twichell:] (Langdon natus)
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Source text(s):Previous publication:
L4, 236–238; MTB, 1:417 excerpts; MTL, 1:177–78, with omissions; MTMF, 140 n. 1, brief excerpt.
Provenance:It is not known when Twichell’s papers were deposited at Yale,
although it is likely that he bequeathed them to the university upon his
death in 1918 (L2, 570).
Emendations and textual notes:
wh • [‘h’ partly formed]
standstill • stand-|still
acu accustomed • acucustomed
such • such such [corrected miswriting]
18 12 • 182
abed. And • abed.—|And
it. And • it.—|And
night. But • night.—|But
to •
[
]
[torn]
uncle •
[]ncle [torn]
writte • [‘t’ partly formed]
