Ellen W. Randolph (Coolidge) to Dolley Madison
| Monticello Jan 17th— 20 |
On my return from a visit to Aunt Cary, I found [yo]ur letter of the 10th, my dear Mrs Madison, waiting for me at Monticello—we should have experienced no sort of inconvenience [had?] you detained the books the whole winter, for we have all read them. a long absence from home must plead my excuse for not having returned the Volumes of La Harpe’s Cours de Literature lent me by Mr Todd, and as I have not yet had an opportunity of reading them, he will pardon me, I hope, for keeping them a little longer.—I accompanied Aunt Randolph to Fluvanna, where she proposes to spend the winter, and she did not take leave of me without repeated charges, to remember her most particularly to you, whenever I should write.
The Turban you were so good as to make for Lady Randolph excited the greatily admiration, [. . .] and gratitude of the Thespian Society Under its magic influence a gawky school-boy became a beautifull, nay, an elegant woman, and the talismanic head-dress appeared to possess the power of communicating to another, some portion of the graces borrowed from its former mistress—Mama has determined not to go to Richmond this winter, and the girls & myself are staying quietly at home with her She desires me to say that she is even now experiencing the renovating effects of her visit to Montpellier. her health has been uniformly good since she left you. She joins me in the hope that Mr Madison and yourself will not [delay?] your wonted visit, beyond the return of good roads & settled weather, & that Mr Todd [. . .] compliance with his promise will make Monticello his first stage on leaving home.
Adieu my dear Mrs Madison. Mama unites in the assurances of affection offered by your friend
Mama begs that you will tell Mrs Reuben Conway, that [. . .] the Multiflora Rose which she promised her has been stuck and is very flourishing.
For more on the productions of the thespian society, see Elizabeth Trist to Nicholas P. Trist, 2 Jan. 1820.