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Samuel Jackson to Sarah Jackson
Clifton Plantation August 16th/57
Dear Ma
I received your truly affectionate letter of date 5th August on friday, with [illeg] pleasure And also one from brother of date 2d inst. I never saw him in shuch high spirits he was telling me what an important fellow he was with the ladies how changed, since I last saw him, in that respect. he sayes then Any of them could have led him the Ambush but, now his heart is as hard as stone, he sayes he can flatter and compliment them with out a blushe he seems perfeclty delighted with him slf in that light, he wrote me five pages on the subject. I am glad to see him in such fine spirits. I am also glad that I can say we have apearences of fine weather it cleared up on friday, rained some last night but it has been a lovely day. it was raining nearly four weeks And our cotton in some places it ruined. the servants dont think now we will make more than fifty bales. I dont think we will make near that much the boles are rottning and the shapes falling off. I had no idea it could be injured so. I am perfectly out of all sprits with it, to think we had such a a fine looking crop, and more injured as it is I believe it would have taken all our hands near all the winter to have picked out all of it, however I am making preparations. I still have to make them work in in the cotton just go along and chop in the middles, it cant be plowed and the grass grew so fast while it was raining that it must be choped down. I have Phil and Henry making basketts, the hamper's. the will pick in bags And at the end of the row empty in the large basketts. Pa told me when I