Fred received an injury to his spine around 1897, which resulted in paralysis from the waist down.
Pentz
Butte Co
May 5 1900
Dear Brother and Sister
I now take the pleasure of sending you a few lines hoping it will reach you allright and in good health as it leaves us all here with the exception of dear Fred and he I am sorry to say is no better than when I wrote you last cannot go out of the house to walk at all them damn China doctors was no good at all a set of frauds we paid them 100 dollars and then they cleared out to San Francisco and left all their patients in the lurch never said a word that they was going was away 3 months then one of them came back and wanted to have him again but we do not any more of their rubbish which did the poor boy more harm than good he is taking Dr Williams Pink Pills now but whether they will help him God only knows I see by the newspapers that you have them in England the poor boy has swallowed so much medicine this last 3 years he is disheartened at all of it I can assure you it is a dreadful trial for him and all of us Bob got thrown from a horse just after I wrote to you last and hurt his right wrist so bad he was laid up for six weeks it hurts yet but he is able to work he feels it at nights after he has hard picking or drilling his arm is a little crooked I think he cracked the bone I was awful glad to hear you had been home once more and had such a nice visit with all old friends. It made me feel homesick to think I was not with you to shake hands with English people once more I thought I had been away so many years they had all forgot me but I see it is not so I was also glad that you bought the cream to take home to your own family I should have liked to have had your pictures when you was all around that Blackberry pie and cream. We have had 2 nice heifer calfs this year and we get plenty cream but when we can have it any time we do not think so much about it as we should if we only had it once a year I must tell you what a nice surprise Picnic we had on April Fools day the young people of Pentz came up to surprise Fred there was 44 sat down under our Fig Trees to dinner spread cloths on the grass and all squatted around Gypsy fashion they all brought Cakes and Pies and Chickens they would not let me do a thing all enjoyed themselves. Bob and I went to Oroville last Thursday there was a big celebration of the native sons I will send you a paper with the pictures of the decorations it was very fine there was a big crowd of people there. Bessie stayed with Fred as we cannot leave him alone sometimes his legs give way and he falls down if there is not someone there to help him I will put a spray of Orange Blossom in the paper we have thousands of Blossoms this spring if we get no late frost will have a big crop of Oranges and French Plums have had a fine winter plenty rain but no frost at all Bessie and Ed and little Alfred are very well he is able to chatter (words) and growing like a weed he is after grandpa all the time to ride with (Flo) and Poll. poor Bessie felt awful bad they had to shoot their Cow she could not drop her Calfe you know I told you about the trouble they had with her last year no help for her this time a very large Calfe a good 50 dollars out of their (profits) cattle is very dear now out here I should think you all feel sorrow at home so many good Englishmen killed in Africa makes me feel bad to read the papers I have put a 5 dollar Bill in this letter so if you go home this summer you can drink a cup of Tea for me good and strong (no water bewitched and Tea begrudged you remember who used to say that about the Coffee at Miss St Dalmases don't you) one with Polly Vinnicome Windsor, M A Lock Hooper Sally Kent and Sally Tottle and I must not forget poor Polly Heywood I do feel bad to hear she lost an arm did Margie Browning ever get married again you know poor Tom Merchant died just as I was leaveing home 27 years ago you forgot to tell me if Miss Stone is living or how her children are getting on remember me to all of them and now I must close for the Fleas is biting me harder now than they did when you used to roll me over in the bed to catch them when I was a little girl how sleepy I was and used to think you was an old Maid to let a few fleas bother you well good night I hope you have not had the La Grippe this winter it has been very bad out here with love to you all from all of us your affectionate
Brother & Sister
R & A S Lyte
