[Letter] 1856 Feb 16 Indian Gulch [to] Friend Mills [manuscript].

              Indian Gulch Feb 16 1856

Friend Mills:

There is a general rule of letter writing, which would I think be well for you to study for the purpose of practicing upon.  I have written as many letters to you as you have to me. when I finish this; and I have written two to Asa where he has written one to me.  I am considerably of the opinion that it is a "hard road to travel over Jordan" and I have "e'en a'most" got the blues,---by the way blues are a funny trick, they come on one apparently without any just cause or provocation and go off quite as unreasonably but I did not propose to give you a dissertation on blues, but on better writing--but even that I will postpone to give you the news; and I don't really know what there is new.  Some Chinamen were robbed last night but that is nothing new, robbing Chinamen is a common amusement up here and the fellows rather seem to like it of the two, at least they don't make much fuss about it.