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away your strength, + health, + may be, life, in such a worse than useless manner. Why do you care whether you, or another person, has superior brute [underlined] power? If you should lift, or wrestle, with a thousand men, + should triumph over them all, you would not know, + would never [underlined] know, that you was the slowest {underlined] man in the world. When you shall have wasted half your life in such silly trials, some obscure mountain ignoramus beats you out + out in every [unintelligible] in which you may have before excelled. Never strain yourself again too see how much you can lift, or to see how big a bully you can tip over. This is not only vulgar but dangerous. Mr. McVee told me of a smart young man in N. York that ruptured a blood vessel in topping how much he could lift + bled to death. You have been too [double underlined] much in the habit , you know, of exhibiting your strength in this way; and , I [underlined] think [underlined] , you enfeebled yourself not a little, last winter, + spring, by wrestling, + lifting. Perhaps you will say, "father is repeating an old sermon that I have heard till I am tired of it." I hope you will remember + [underlined] profit [underlined] by it. Tom Dannon has arrived to pick apples.

Persis Leavan weighs 136. Tell Nelson, if you see him, it is uncertain about my selling to I.O.J. Smith. If I sell I will accept his terms for board. Heigh ho! I don't know. When we shall go. But it is as likely as anything that I shall keep along, here, just as I have done. Be quiet, + [underlined] let [underline] this [underlined] world [underlined] wag [underlined]. I can go up to my little horse now in the field + catch him without trouble. �