File:Thomas Wildcat Alford to Alice Mary Longfellow, 7 January 1890 (a65f0761-f2d0-4bcc-8fc9-5d823fd73a7e).jpg

Manuscript letter

Archives Number: 1007.001/002.003-001#018

[printed letterhead: Office of Secretary / *SAC AND FOX NATION,*]
Sac and Fox Agency, Ind. Ter., Jan 7th, 1890
Miss Alice Longfellow,
Cambridge, Mass.
My dear friend,
Accept many thanks for your motherly kindness in sending me so many x mas presents. It always has been a great help to me to know and feel the deep interest you have in me.
The xmas box came in due season and in good condition and the contents made many little souls happy. It did us workers so much good to see the many bright faces that night. Our little School house was not large enough to hold all who came. Many of the so called wild Indians came to witness the scene. I had everything ready to have the Xmas-tree Christmas Eve but the thirty pounds [p. 2] of candy I sent for failed to reach the agency - so the time was postponed until Xmas - night and during the day sent a man thirty miles from here to purchase us some candy - He had a good team and made the trip by five P. M. and then it was busy work to fill the little bags which were made to hold the candy.
The children, after giving out presents, were allowed to go home, and in three days we had only four in school. During vacation which one of our boys died which will cause much hinderance in filling up our school again. Our school opens again tomorrow and I am glad because this place is so lonesome without the children and yet when they are here it takes constant work to keep them in order. I have an assistant teacher, a lady who has been a teacher for ten years in her life and how I am to get is yet to be found out.
I am finding out that teaching is [p. 3] not play but hard work to accomplish much.
Your desire of my getting along with employes [sic] has not been a success on the whole. For sometime a party planed [sic] to push me out but I clung to my position and gave away not an inch until now I can rest in content.
I intend to have a “Longfellow’s Day” the 27th of Feb. and if you will write a letter to my school will be please to read it on that day.
Kind remembrance to all, and success to you.
Your boy.
Walter.

• Keywords: long archives; document; alice m. longfellow papers (long 16173); hampton institute; organizations; education; correspondence; Manuscripts (1007.001); (LONG-Subcollection); Correspondence (1007.001/002); (LONG-SeriesName); Scholarship Student Correspondence (1007.001/002.003); (LONG-SubseriesName); Letters to Alice Longfellow (1007.001/002.003-001); (LONG-FileUnitName)