Miss Arabella S. Mudd
The Kalispell Refuge for Christian Women and Girls (Blacks Irish and Jews Welcome)
Kalispell
Montana Territory
16th September 1876

Mrs John Patrick Toombs
Toombs Mill
Blacksburg
Virginia (Unoccupied)

My Dearest, beautifulist, nicest Melis,

Shallom! That is what Jew peeple say instead of howdy. I am learning all about Jew people because my new friend Dolly (what I told you is really called Miriam) is a Jew peeple person. She is a gril. Oh darn it, this new pen I got keeps making me spell wrong. She is a girl like me. She got a daddy and a mammy, who is called Papa Ezekiel and Mama Sarah. Mrs Kowfman is real nice and I help her sometimes make food and she is teaching me about how to make Jew food. Her Papa is real nice too, and I think he likes me, I am like the intresting dorter they never had. We are like a little family.

Dolly also has a brother and sister. 

As you can see above on this here letter I now live at the Christian Refuge. Dont think this is cause I am a refuge person. I run it with this blind girl what can't see and she is totally deaf oh darn this pen I mean blind. She is called Frances Grimes and I knowd I spelled that right cause she goes mad ifn anybody spells it francIs with a i. And you say 'how does that blind gril know they spelled it wrong if she is blind?' And I reply cause I tell her.  

I also met a new freind who is a injun and he is called John Warbow and he is going to do a injun cemerony on me and Dolly but I don't know how it will go yet oh there is the clock says I got to go to work. Bye bye. 

Love from your old dear pal

Arabella xxx

PS To answer your question, I dont know, but you have only been married a short time and maybe mister Toombs will get better at it.