Black Hawk Colorado Territory May 6th, 1865 My Dear Daughter Anna         When I opened Mothers letter of April 23rd on Thursday last I was very glade to find that you had written me a short letter of the same date.  I am very thankful to see that you can write so well and still I hope you will improve a great deal yet in your penmanship for I would like to have you good in reading, good in spelling, good in writing and good in every thing that is good, and the best time to learn all that I have named is in youth, and that time ought to be improved for it only comes to us once and it don't stay long with us but soon passes away and then we have not so good an opportunity to learn those things that we ought to have learnt sooner.  I am often sorry that I did not learn as much as I could and ought to have learned when about your age.  I remember this is your birth day.  You are fifteen years old today.  Just think of that.  It seems very short to me, but then we are taught that fifteen years to come will pass away as fast as the fifteen that has just gone, and I hope we will be spared to see it and find that we have not neglected to improve it for our present and future happiness.         I was very glade to hear that you took charge of the house when Mother was gone to Chicago and it makes me happy to hear that you got along so well.  I am also proud to hear that you are so attentive to your little brothers and sisters.  Mother told me this some time ago and I am very thankful to hear it said that you are kind to them for that is right and just what this little verse of poetry teaches.  I like it very much and it will be easy for you to commit to memory.  Here it is:   Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make this world an Eden, Like the one above.         Now you will learn it and tell me what you think of it.  You know that Eden was the name of the place where the garden was, in which our first parents lived for a while and they must have been very happy for they were made without sin, but after a while they did the thing which God had told them not to do, and in that way they sinned and fell from their happy condition and had to leave the garden with all its comforts.  What a pity.  They did not do right, but let us do right that we may enjoy the happiness of the Eden above. May 7th         I did not finish your letter last evening and now I am going to say that I have been to church and sabbath school and got two papers at sabbath school today which I will send you.  The little ones and others attending sabbath school get the small paper every sabbath but the large paper only comes once in a while.  I think the are both good papers and I ame glade to see them find their way to this wild place.         We all felt sorry and sad at the death of our president just as you all did at home.  The churches here are still dressed with the marks of mourning and the people still feel sad and so do I as often as I think of him whom we liked so well because he was a wise and good man.         Now Dear Daughter you see I have written you a long letter which will show you that I am not forgetful of you though I have not seen you for over a year but I hope to see you all by next fall.  Be a good girl is the prayer of your Father