Dear Stella,
Well, it finally happened. I shouldn't be surprised, really; it was bound to eventually. Walter, the gentleman who owns the ranch land down the river, stopped by unexpectedly. Apparently he's going down to Edmeston for a few weeks to visit his daughter, and wanted to know if I needed anything from the big city while he was down there.
(Yes, I know. Laugh all you want. When the closest town has four hundred people, even Edmeston seems like a burgeoning metropolis.)
In any event, I was not expecting visitors. The farm is so out of the way that I rarely get them. So when he found me chopping wood in one of your old floral dresses, I imagine it was quite the shock. He handled it better than father did, to his credit. He didn't say anything, or at least not to my face. That said, gossip travels fast in a place like this, and when I visited town just a few days later I confirmed that my reputation as "bumbling but well meaning city boy" has been thoroughly destroyed. I don't think they know what to think of me. Nobody has been outright hostile (yet), but they've all given me the Look. Well, if the secret's out, I suppose I can at least stop wearing that thrice-damned suit when I go into town.
In better news, the farmstead is slowly coming together. The cabin has been rebuilt and furnished and I've carved out a path to the river and built a small fishing dock. It has been difficult work but rewarding. You would laugh to see that I have become quite the amateur angler. Not only has it been a much welcomed source of fresh food, but I've found it to be a wonderfully relaxing hobby. I have also been able to alleviate the worst of my financial issues by selling my excess timber and fish in town. I was sorely hoping that I would have crops planted by now, but any progress is good progress. At this rate, I imagine I will have to settle for fishing and foraging through the winter, as the planting season is almost at its end and I have yet to even break ground on the fallow fields.
Enough about me though; how have you been? You must nearly be back from your honeymoon by now. You must tell me about it in your next letter. I'm sure you are looking forward to getting settled in at your husband's estate. Hopefully next year the farm will be in a fine enough state to host guests and you can come visit. I miss you dearly, and look forward to your next letter.
Your sister,
Eveline