From Jane Mecom (unpublished)
Boston Janr. 8th 1788
My Dear Brother

I never mean to decive you by Any thing I write but your Penetrating Eye Discovers the Smallest Simton and the Remotest consequences. I do indeed Live comfortable, (but cannot Indulge such a childish disposition as to be Runing to you with every complaint when I know it will give you Pain.) I have a good clean house to Live in my Grandaughter constantly to atend me too do whatever I desier in my own way and in my own time. I go to bed Early lye warm and comfortable Rise Early to a good Fire have my Brakfast directly and Eate it with a good Apetite and then Read or work or what Else I Pleas we live frugaly Bake all our own Bread, brew small bear, lay in a litle cyder; Pork, Buter, &c. and suply our selves with Plenty of other nesesary Provision Dayly at the Dore. We make no Entertainments, but some Times an Intimate Acquaintance will come in and Pertake with us the Diner we have Provided for our selves and a Dish of Tea in the After noon, and if a Friend sitts and chats a litle in the Evening we Eate our Hasty Puding (our comon super) after they are gone.

It is trew I have some Trobles but my Dear Brother Does all in His Power to Aleviat them by Preventing Even a wish, that when I Look Round me on all my Acquaintance I do not see won I have Reason to think Happier than I am, and would not change my Neighbour with my self where will you Find won in a more comfortable state as I see Every won has their Trobles I supose them to be such as fitts them best and shakeing off them might be only changing for the wors.

About a year after you left me at Philadelphia I went to Rhoad Island and lived with my Grand daughter Greene till she had Borne four children very happily, but she Died, her Husband Invited me to continue with Him but I chose to come to Cambridg to my Daughter, it happened to be at a time when it was soposed he her Husband had got much by Privetearing but in a short time after I got there I found He had Hiered money on Intrest to Live on, which was then Near Expended, I all the while let them have money for Nesesaries and it was acounted of Pay for my board, but there was no Prospect of beter doings he going Dayly to Boston to seek for Busness and finding none I askd why He did not git a House and Remove ther. He said he could not, I sopose for the same Reason that he could not git cridit at Philadelphia. I then got this House cleard, as soon as Posable and concluded to come and live in it. He by writen Agreemento Give me my Board for the Rent.

We came in the midle of winter and About April by some means or other He made out to go a sort of a Traiding Trip to Novescoci staid there a grat while and came back with litle. I should first have tould you that when we were about to move His Landlord declared we Should [not] come away any thing till He was Paid His Rent which was 2 year behind, he tould me of it but all the Ansure I gave him I was no Expence to them. Afterwards Collas came and askd me to be bound for Him I tould Him I would not but I would lend H m a consolodated note I had out of our Treasurie of fourteen Pounds some Shilling which with twelve Dolars he had of me before he stttled the Afair so that we were premited to come away, after the Novescoci Afair He Staid at home a long time at last got to be master of a Vesel belonging to french man who was shup up for Debt most of the Time He was Gone as soon as he Returnd and they settled there Voige the French man went off and Collas was out of Busnes again, after a long time He got another Vesel for the West Indies from such Owners as I hoped would keep Him in Imploy but He staid much longer than was Expected and never wrot a line to His owner the whol Voige he said there was no need of it for He was consigned to another there who did write the consequence was he was Dismisd Emediatly and never Earnd a peney for Nine months him self and a boy by that time allhe had Earnd was Gone my Debpt still Increceing besides many others I thought it Absolutly nesesary to secure there nesesary furniture Least it should be Atachd by some other creditor and got him to make it over to me. He then Run in Debt, to all who would trust him and Patchd up this Traiding Voige, was to sell all and return in two months with the Produce of all there Efects he stayd seven made no remitances and sent his wife in the time a bill of fivety Dolars which if it was Right she should receve she was cheated off he thinking she had recd it came home to help Eate it and brought another small bill but not a farthing Returns for any of the Adventurers how could they Expect it he said the Goods were not sould most he had sould was on credit and he could not git the Pay, and he had left all in the Hands of another Person who had Provd Him self a Vilen if he was Honest. This being his case I trembled at Every knock at the Dore least it should be some officer with demands on him. I at lenth tould him he had no Right to live without Labour any more than another man he was strong and Able andif he could not git to be master of a vesel he must go mate. He should not chose to do that Nether. I tould him the Expences of the Famely when he was at home were Doble to what they were when he was abdent and that if I continued to spend as I now did I should have not for my own soport he acknoliged it all and went back to the same Place. But the shameles Impudence of the wretch to go to Philadelphia and make such aplication to you was beyond my conception

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