Background: Lucia has been married five months.  A cousin writes her from Soledade, Brazil, where Luigi (Lucia’s brother?) is living. The letterhead is from the Hotel Bisceglia, Luiz Bisceglia proprietor. Luiz is Portuguese for Luigi. The remaining pages of the letter are lost. 

April 3, 1918

Dearest Cousin,
  Here I am in this town ten days already. You don’t this know but I’ll tell you, the place is where Luigi lives. I came to stay for a while with him. The climate is better than in Cruzeiro. The thing is that it’s a city that resembles our dirty Montelongo. Luigi has been here for 13 years, but he doesn’t care because he is accustomed to it. Perhaps in two or three days I’m returning to Cruzeiro.  
   Your dear letter has made me totally happy to know that you are in excellent shape, healthy, and happy to be married. I’ve always been interested in your well-being. I make a vow to the good Lord (God willing) to protect you and to always give you the utmost happiness that you desire. I have felt immense delight to know that your husband’s relatives love you and that he sincerely respects you. Even if I don’t remember him well during the year I stayed in the town, all the people talked about how excellent a young man he is and that for me …

(This is written vertically at the right margin of the letter: “The address, you write it like this:  Nicolino de Paula. E. Ferro Central do Brazil”)