[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]East Templeton. March 25. 1907.
My dear Lucy -
I have a picture in my mind of a young lady making a strenuous though not ungraceful dash for a car, with all the street urchins either cheering her or trying to stop the car, could not tell which from my standpoint. Could it have been you?
You remember you wrote me that Mr. Blodgett wished to know whether I would have a trustee appointed before or after the estate was settled, what did you decide about it? and is it necessary to have one, if we three agree not to, furthermore it seems to me a permanent trustee would be very expensive, we ought to be able to take care of what little finances we have got without outside help.
Perhaps if I tell you the little that Augusta said to me about her will you will understand, how we feel about the matter, the first time she spoke of it was the day the will was finished and signed, she came up here and said I have made my will. I said Well I am glad of it I think that is what you ought to do, she spoke about not telling any one what it was, then said But I think I can trust you and Warren and I said you better not, so she said no more then, again she was here and Warren had just had a good chance to go South for a firm and I was telling her about it she inquired if he would go and I said we have never felt free to go away and leave Mother as the others have and Well she said you and Warren will be well paid for staying with Mother. I said you want him to have the benefit of your money as well as me. Certain I hope he will stop work and go where he wants to, she said.
I only put one name in the will because that is the way, and if you die first I dont [sic] want the money to go to Warren's folks but to Mary and Lucy. Then another time she said she did not want her money to go to the Catholic Church, after she was sick she said you are to use your own judgment about spending the principal, I understood that the money was to be turned over to me to use all the income and as much of the principal as we needed, of course it is for our own interest not to use up the principal, as that would lessen our income and at our time of life a steady income is desirable, and it seems too bad to pay some one for doing what I can do myself, and it does seem as if she would have said something about a trustee if she had thought it necessary.
Well, I believe this is all I have got to say. I thought I should see you when you were home but there was no opportunity, let us hear from you when convenient.
Yours lovingly
Ada E. BalcomWarren sends love.