Montgomery
April 1st 1879
My dear sister

I recd' your letter written on the 4 Feb, a wee(k) ago it came to Montg. On the 2nd of March, it is a busy time with the farmers and no one from the neighbour hood going to town. I did not get it untill last week and have not had an opperturnity of sending an answer. Will is going to town in a few days, and I have sevrel letters to write to send by him. I have been with them since the sixth of March, they are tolerbly well, the old lady is sick and complaining all of the time. Mollie is also complaining but all the time going. Mag is rather puny, I think from imprudence and bad management, I don't think she will ever have any constitution to carry her through a long life. We were all very glad to hear from you again and that you had escaped the Yellow fever; I rcd a letter from Duncan written to T W McLaurin the week before I left No. Ca. I begged him and Cousin John to write to some of the kin and try if they could hear from you after the fever was over, we were all so uneasy about you, you said that you had not recd but one letter, written in Aug from me, I wrote you a long letter soon after getting to Montgomery, we expected to get their a week before Christmas but Sister Harriet could not get ready, when we got there, the roads were so bad that we had to stay at Will Gunters six weeks before we could get any where; during that time we went to Greenvill to see Sister Thomas who is at her son William, staying with them. She came in November, she is looking old but is in good health and gets about pretty well. She told me to be sure to remember her kindly to you both, we had the most pleasant visit I have had any where since I came to the country; Ellen had a baby soon after we came and was sick all the time we were there, Hatty also has annother son, looks very thin and has a bad cough. Nelly has the finest boy of any of them, She and all of them are well, Harris is married, and his wife has a girl very dellicate little thing. I left Bell in Wilmington at school she boards with Mrs Stevenson, a widow Lady who keeps a private boarding house not far from Cousin Mags, she is well pleased and I think improveing, they are very strict and require perfect lessons it is a yankey School and every thing is like clock-work, she writes to me and her Brother says she has not much spare time, I will send her you address and lett (sic) her to write to you, they have a vacation from June to Oct, I expect she will come to Ala then tho I am very much afraid for her to come in the summer, I got a letter from Duncan every month since I have been here, but have not recd one from any one in Brazil except one from John, Bell has written several to the girls there but has not recd an ans answer yet, Duncan wrote to Bell that Mrs Boyle was boarding with Robert, you ask me if I gave my consent to his marriage, he ask it but I did not as ever have. He had every thing arrainged and expected to marry two months sooner but we were detained on account of yellow fever in Rio and I would not let him bring her there, so the very day wich we left they were married and she went in to my house, Rob and Berry Bowin rented the place for two years; I have never written nor even mentioned either of their names in a single letter not even to Duncan since I left Brazil, nor will not let Bell; Duncan says he has never received a single letter from his Uncle, or heard anything from the power of atorney we sent before we came whether it answered or not, I do not know when he will come he has been waiting my decissian whether I would rather stay here or go back to Brazil, it is very hard for me to make up my mind to stay in this; what I call a (God) forsaken country, it struck me with horrow when I came, to see to see the change in the people more than the country, I have written for him to come and see for him self but I have not much Idea that he will want to stay if he has the same feeling that I have, it is all that the people can do to have enough to eat that is any thing but meat and bread I thought we lived as hard and equonomical as people could in Brazil, but I have seen some places that I would not like to exchange with by a goodeal (good deal) I have no idea how long I will stay in Ala I am rather afraid to spend the summer here. Mollie says she is going to town this or next fall and will problably go to see you or her sister H. and my self we have not the means to go .
Give my love to Cousin Sallie and tell her I am much obliged for her kind invitation, tho am afraid will not be able to make the visit. Write as often as you can and accept the love and affection of your sister

M J(Margaret Jane) McIntyre

PS:Sister is staying at Fanny Robersons. I have not seen her in two weeks I send her letter to her she was so glad to hear from you and will write to you soon.
Hannah wrote to you about the same time that I wrote, they have a hard time getting along she Lucky and Charles were all sick hardly one able to do for the other when I was there their Mother came up the week I left she is looking old I do not know how long she will stay
Will has been speaking of writing to Duncan but is so busy planting I do not know when he said not get but one letter from him & that was in January I think he is on the old Carter hill place