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Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 2

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From Eunice Paine

12 June 1758

From Eunice Paine

30 June 1758
To Eunice Paine
RTP Paine, Eunice
Boston June 20th. 1758 Dear Eunice,

the last day of service, no business on hand, but yet Expectation won't suffer me to study, therefore I improve this moment to write you a just what comes uppermost. I delivered yrs. to Mary1 & she sends you one inclos'd. My Dunstable Katey2 has got as far as Cambridge. I went on Saturday P.M. to visit her, found her very week, but bidding fair to recover. She enquired much after you, & was disappointed in not seeing you at Dunstable. I think she has the Gift of utterance to as great perfection as I ever see any & accompanied with a great vivacity of Imagination renders her exceeding good Company especially when proceeding from so agreable a person. I wish you could be with her a while. I am satisfy'd 'twould enliven you much. If you were not so straitned for Room I would bring her down to tarry with you a while. The Middle of this Week I should set out for Connetticut were it not that freind Abel is with me & so I purpose to tarry till the End of it. If Mr. Dyar wants to send there let him send the Letter to me soon; you must fall too & exercise your Ingenuity in making me a pair of Leather Stockins. I shall send you the leather by this Opportunity as also an old pair for a Pattern. NB if you can mend the old ones likewise, do. By all means drink Salt Water stoutly. Sprague says 'tis the best thing for you & likewise go down by the sea side and take the little Bladders of the Sea Oak (a Plant so called which grows on the Rocks & bears little bladders that look like small olives & are full of a slimy Juice) & break them & rub yr. Scrophulous joints with the inside of them & then wash it off with the98salt water which has been proved abundantly serviceable in those cases, & I doubt not but by degrees you'll grow rampant.

My Compliments where they belong. I think of nothing else but that I am yr. loving brother &c.

R. T. PAINE

P.S. Wednesday. Hindred & doubt I shall not be able to send the leather. Expect to go to morrow or next day.

R. T. P.

RC ; endorsed.

1.

Possibly Mary Fletcher.

2.

Catherine Blanchard (1736–1817), daughter of Col. Joseph Blanchard of Dunstable, married Rev. Elias Smith (1731–1791) in 1759 (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 13:351–355).