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Henry Dec 16 1860

So this is your eighteenth birthday

is it Nina dearest? May it be a very, very

happy one to you my darling, & may the future

realize your brightest and most sanguine an-

ticipations. It is hard for me to picture you to

myself as a grown woman, Nine, although I

know it must be so. As I look at you as you

were when I left home, I try to imagine

the change which two years & a half have made

in the placid half dreamy [countenance?] which

is before me, but I can make no alterations which

please me, & so am fain still to think of you

as you were then, until we meet again next sum--

mer. I wonder if the sun shines as brightly upon

your birthday in Winchester as it does here. I

don't think I ever saw a more beautiful winter day.

The reflection of the sun from our ice & snow clad

river & bluff seems almost to redouble its bril-

liancy, whilst the sky is as clear & the air as

soft and balmy as that of October. For a week

past the weather has been unexceptional , but for

some time before, it was anything but pleasant

I assure you, so you may imagine how much

we have enjoyed the change. I am sorry to hear

you have had so little fine weather in Virginia

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during the past fall & winter. Here it has been as

Mr Foots (I believe) would say, "on the contrary quite

the reverse," for with the exception of some two

or three weeks the fall has been a delightful one.

Our winter made its appearance a little earlier

than usual, bringing with it an abundance of

cold weather and ice, but not snow enough to give

us any sleighing yet. Charley and [Brat?] have been enjoy-

ing the skating very much, & on several occa-

sions have been very intent upon my joining them,

but having read the "Pickwick Papers" lately, & with

poor Mr. Winkle's experience upon the ice so freshly

impressed upon my memory, I have been by no

means disposed to trust myself in their hands

upon so treacherous an element. & my sprightly

young lady from New Jersey who has been spending

several months with her brother (Mr. [Hyndsham?])

at our old house invited me to go upon a ska-

ting party with her a few days ago, but I very

respectfully declined the invitation, referring her

at the same time to Charley as a much more

gallant & accomplished cavalier upon such an

occasion. Hunting has been my chief resource this

fall, & as game has been unusually abundant,

I have generally been quite successful in

my excursions. Prairie chickens, quail, & waterfowl

of all sorts have been served up upon our table

very frequently of late, & I have often regretted

that you could not share our enjoyment of

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them. Our in-door amusements after tea are chess

& reading. A portion of the evening is devoted to his-

tory, & the rest to playing chess & reading Bulwer

or Dickens, & the papers. I can't say we make very

much progress in our history, as we are liable

to frequent interruptions, but we advance steadily,

& (as we read each volume twice,) we think we shall

not soon forget what we have read. Charley is

still reading Hume, Harry, & I have Gibbon, &

Brat is deep in "D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation."

Ma tells us in her letter to Charley (which came to

hand yesterday) that you & she are still read-

ing Prescott's "Life of Philip the 2nd." Do you find the

last volumes as interesting as the first? I have

been long promising myself the pleasure of its peru-

sal, & think I shall take it up as soon as I

finish Gibbon, so that we may read it togeth-

er next summer. I suppose the girls are looking

forward with some impatience to the arrival of

Christmas when no doubt there will be a general

home-going amongst them. Where do you spend

the holidays? In Winchester, or do you accompany

one of them home? Tell Ma we have a great deal of

curiosity to see Mr. Boyd's sermon & hope she will

send us a copy when it is published. Charley joins me

in much love to all, & says he expects to write to you in

a very few days. Hoping to hear from you very soon my

dear Nine. I am as ever

Your devoted brother

Lloyd Powell