Tis a long, long time since I have written you, and I am somewhat ashamed of it I assure you—but somehow I cannot seem to get time—and so day after day passes without writing. When I was at home I expected to be able to come to Washington to see you but matters turned out so—combined with Mats poor health at the time, that I could'nt make it out.
You have learned, of course, through Mother of our safe arrival in St. Louis We at first put up at Barnums Hotel1 but the place was inconvenient and price very high so I have hired a large room (abt. 25' X 20' by 16 high) we have a large stove in it, two beds and have our meals served from the Restaurant in the basement—the room is directly opposite the office2 and altogether quite pleasant—yet of course we should prefer to keep house—and shall do so if Mattie gets well enough—I think Mat is getting better fast. Her cough is very much less—she is gaining in flesh and is much stronger—she goes out with me on the work almost every day that it is pleasant and enjoys it hugely. The children go to school—quite away off too—so that they take the cars that run past the door and within a block or so of the school. They are both very healthy and when night comes are just as tired as they can be what with their ride in the car—their studies and play Both of them grow fast—Hattie inde[e]d is quite a large girl.
The works are going along pretty well although just at this moment we are in ill-luck consequent upon the river having risen and overflowed our cofferdam and thereby stopped progress on the river work.3 I have just come down from there and found the water slowly falling and I hope in a few days—by Sunday next—to commence again—this is the part of the works that we expected would be difficult and we have got along with them better than we had a right to expect. For the last three weeks the river has been just on the verge of overflowing us—the consequence was that we worked hard to crowd the work and fight the water to keep it out of the dam—the foundations are from 25 to 30 feet under the surface of the water in the river and I felt it would make bad work to be drowned out It would (the river) go up to within just a few inches of the top of the dam some days and then fall a few inchs—this style of worry and excitement has had rather a bad effect on me as I have for some two weeks had a pretty bad diarrhea—but since the matter is settled I am getting better of it—and shall undoubtedly be all right in a few days now.
I had a letter from Davis4 to day who is now in Brooklyn—he says he took dinner on Sunday with Mother and George—that they were well and that George was getting along quite fast with his Portland Avenue house Davis thinks of coming back to St. Louis via Washington—if he does you will see him and he will give you an idea of what we are attempting to do here—I wish, dear Walt, that you could come out and see for yourself tho 'twould do us lots of good—cant you ring in on one of the R. Road examinat[ion] excursions5 and come as far as St Louis I think it would do you lots of good to come west for awhile just to see how big 'tis getting
How goes things with you Walt? Will you be able to retain your sit under the new come ins?6 Do you write anything for publications now adays.7 Tis so long since I have heard from you directly that I suppose you have had quite a good dea[l] published that I have not seen.
Mattie and the children send love—when you can, scribble us a line—tis a good day when we get a letter from any of you Do you hear much about Han, poor girl I think of her often if I say but little. she has a hard lot of it.8 Give my love to all mutual friends in Washington—particularly the O'Connors.9
Affectionately your brother Jeff