I wish you and Jennie would come down and make us a visit. We now have
room, and will have until Fred. returns with his family, which will
probably be a few days before Christmas.--Sometime before my term of
office expires I want Mother to make me a visit. If she would like to
come down during the holidays we could make room by sending one of the
boys out o' nights. The children will all be at home during that week;
possibly the last time we will have them all at home together. At all
events it may be the last opportunity mother may have of seeing them
together.
I received your kind letter of the 11th this A.M. This year, owing to
election excitement, department reports only came in a few days before
the meeting of Congress. When they did come the situation in South
Carolina was so critical that dispatches were coming to me, or to
members of my cabinet, and brought from them to me in such rapid
succession that I do not think I had one single half hour without
interruption all the time I was preparing my message. I am sure I did
not have four hours in its preparation all told, exclusive of the time
consumed in reading the departmental reports. I left out necessarily
topics I should liked to have talked about, but would not mention
without being sure I was right.
My love to all.
Yours truly,