[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]Templeton, Mass.,
Oct. 28, 1903.Dear Lucy:-
I have such a lot of things to write about and such a short time to do it in that I don't know where to begin. Mama & Uncle came home Saturday and Mama went back Tuesday morning. Amber has been quite sick and we have been very much worried about him. Sunday night he did not feel very well, & Monday morning he couldn't sit down. Something was the matter with his hind legs. I guess that it was rheumatism. But he was better by Monday night & has gained ever since. Last night I thought that he had a hard cold but that seems to be gone. But still there is something wrong with his tail. I don't think that it is broken but I think that it is bruised. He may have got it shut into a door but I guess he is coming on all right.
Mrs. Pratt called here to-day and told us all about Mason & how he got his money. Mrs. Parkhurst went to Boston & called on Mrs. Whitam (either the president or sec. of the Lend-a-Hand Club) (Auntie doesn't know how to spell sec. & I dont [sic] so I will abreviate [sic] it) and Mrs. Whitum was telling about a lady that she was interested in so Mrs. Parkhurst told her about Mason & she said that she thought that she knew of a lady who would help him. So you sent word to the lady and she was willing so they sent for Mason and she has lent him two thousand dollars. He has had his life insured as a security. He wanted five hundred more but, as Mrs. Parkhurst thought that he wanted only two thousand, that woman
orgave him just that amount but in his fourth year if he wants the other $500 he can have it. So you see he is all right.Were you here or did I write that Mason had a great cut over his eye & I couldn't find out how it happened? Mrs. Pratt told us that. He was running as conductor on the car with a new motor man. Something was wrong with the brake and Mason got down to try to fix it and took it off. He thought that he had got his head down low enough so it would not hit him but he hadn't and it hit him right over the eye. But he went on to Athol just the same with it bleeding all the time & he nearly fainted but he got home safely. So you see we know all about him now.
Linnie and I went to ride Sat. down to the cider-mill and to the saw-mill. When we went to the cider-mill we had in the wagon two bags of apples in the back, three small ones in front with a peach-basket full on top of those and a jug in our laps. We needed a few extra hands as the basket in front had to be steadied, the jug had to be held onto, someone had to drive, & one of the bags in back had to be held on to. But we got there safely and had a drink of cider. At the saw-mill we found that it was not running & that there was no one around there so we had to get our own shavings & sawdust. Ned Bishop was around there & he helped us. We had in the wagon this time a bag of sawdust & one of shavings in the back & one of saw-dust in front. Don't you think that her horse was tired that night as he went to Otter River also in the afternoon?
I got 100% in my Geometry exam. We had an exam in English to-day, one in Latin & one in Greek to-morrow. Don't you think they are coming pretty fast? There is a Convention at Worcester Friday so we have no school.
With Love, X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X Mary. X X X X XP.S. It is rather strang[e] that I don't know my own name isn't it? I suppose that people change our names around so much that I get all mixed up. M.L.B.
[I have no idea what the P.S. means. She wrote the letter in ink and the names all appeared as written with no crosshatches.]