A Letter Written on May 19, 1904

Templeton, May 19, 1904.

Dear Lucy,

I will send you this letter which came here. [no longer with this letter] I carried it to Mr. Blodgett this morning and he said send it to you and you can answer it or if you prefer you can return it to him and he will answer it. I see no reason why you should not do it. I asked Mr. B- if you had have been appointed and he said you have, and I see that he has your papers there; but he did not give them to me; but you can write Mr. Hills that you are appointed executrix and are loaded and ready to transact business with him. I don't know whether he will need any proof of your appointment or not. Mr. B- did not say any thing about that. He said that according to the laws off [sic] Mass. you had no option but must have the money when it became due - that you could not invest it out of the state. I think the first man to write, Mr. Bacon must have made a mistake in the date of his note, or Mr. Hills has. I hope I have made it plain to you and you can put it into good English. The idea is that you have no right or power, by the laws of Mass. to reinvest the money, or at any rate to invest it out of this state. If Mr. H- wants proof of your appointment, he will write for it - you need only state the fact to him. I think that is all only you ought to answer at once, and while it may not be necessary I would keep Mr. H's letter and a copy of your answer - it can do no harm.

I can only write a few lines to say that we are well and we hope to send your box to-morrow afternoon, though some of the clothes are on the line now and very few of them are ironed - it has been a bad week to dry clothes, though we should have been all right if we had not left some out to whiten. Mrs. Ward has been here for two days, but I don't expect her again for a week or two and perhaps not then.

The silk dress is nearly done. I don't know how it will look. I am afraid the skirt and waist are not going to look alike now it is made up - it shows more than it did before - but the waist will be pretty if I don't like them together. I expect you will be all puffed up with Mr. Hammond's compliment and the Debating Society &c. I am glad Mr. H- thinks you do so well. I think you will play well if you practise. I must stop for it is nearly ten, and I am tired. I went to jug-breaking last night.

Much love,
Mama.

I think your hair looks best parted one side if you can puff it a lot more. Of course do as you prefer about getting Mr. B- to answer the letter.