Allison, Ill. Jan. 1.

Dear Brother Charley.

Well Charley the New Yrs. is starting in and I feel some how like its going to be a lucky yr. for me and Im going to try and do my best to make it lucky. I bet they wont be no throwing away money this yr. like they was last yr. and by a yr. from now I wont have no morgage hanging on my head but will have the house all payed for and every thing clear and a little money in the bank besides.

Between you and I Charley theys some money in the bank right now and beleive me thats where shes going to stay. I got some thing over $600.00 salted away and they wont be another paymunt on the house dew till July and nothing to pay between then and now but regular expences that a man can pay out of your salery if you dont make a monkey out of yourself. Thats what Im going to do this yr. Charley is live close and not toss my money a round like it was a drunkard sailor.

In the 1st place Im going to cut down on smokeing because I figgure where I smoke to much and when a man smokes as much is I been in the habit you get up in the a.m. feeling like a tramp and hawk and cough like you was going to loose a lunge. And Im going to cut out the booze all together and of coarse you know I aint the kind that guzzles it down like I was scarred they was going to quit selling it though I can hold a bbl. of it and not never show no affect but I dont never take more then say 5 or 6 drinks a day and mostly beer at that but it runs in to money because you dont feel like buying for yourself and none of your friends and they aint a bar where I go in to that they aint 1 or 2 of my freinds in there and I got as many freinds is the next man but they aint none of them that