September 6, 1844

Dear Journal,

I haven’t seen my three sisters for four years and I am getting plenty worried. Papa is getting sicker and sicker. His lungs are all black from smoking and I have lost track of mother. Papa doesn’t talk about mother much, because he is sick and can’t talk or he is all choked up in tears I don’t know.

I am very lonely but my boarding house keeper is very nice and keeps me a lot of company.

Who Am I?