My dear Brother

The document came to hand all right this A.M.¹ I hasten to write you about about as I do not want a fellow who does lie so much to be accused of anything that he is not guilty of. I was at the Mill Saturday.² [Then??] [??] [evi?]dently came there. From it it appears that Dunn was right that I was mistaken about about these large Models. Just after writing you it occurred to me to write Alanson. I gave him your address, & from his note you will see he has directed them to be sent to N.Y.³ They are nice Models & with the track shew [sic] the Coupler to the best advantage. In any progress being made in forge, saw-sett or on boiler-feeder? No doubt the only course is a constant prodding. This is the pleasantest [sic] day in about a month then about 20 degrees above.

¹ The document is likely a copy of a new patent that William Dunn had had drawn up for improvements he had made on a train car coupler that he had already patented a few years earlier. As the tone of this letter suggests, the McQuestens had much difficulty with Dunn and did not have much faith in him. See W2554a for more information on the McQuestens business with Dunn; see W2656 for more on this new patent.

² Isaac was involved with the Hespeler Manufacturing Company which processed raw wool and cotton. The mill went bankrupt around 1887 with $900 000 in liabilities, see W2652.

³ The McQuesten brothers had some difficulty acquiring the train car coupler models from Dunn, see W1728.