If You're Looking For A Challenge.....

This is part of a letter that I actually had framed because I was so amazed by it.   As you can see, the writing is both horizontal and vertical on the page.  I've never done research on this but I'm guessing it was written that way to conserve paper since the letter dates about 1880.  On top of that, the paper is thin enough that you can see through to the other side which has the same horizontal and vertical writing on it so it's a fantasy of double vision.  Throw in the fact that it was written when elaborate handwriting and language were the fashion, and you have a super challenge.  Some time ago I deciphered one of them with great effort and it turned out to be something about a garden.  Not really worth the effort, but there's always the possibility the next one will tell me where the family fortune is buried.