Dear Mamma:-It has been such a lovely day. I went down to see Olive on the morning train. She and her sister were seeing off another friend and meeting me at one and the same time. The drive over was about four miles, and a pretty road. The river valley is much wider at Bethel and the hills lower, but yet by no means small. Before dinner we climbed up in a high pasture and I got some catnip which I'm going to send to Toss. The view was beautiful, but there were no "big mountains." The house where Olive is is some larger than this and not as well kept, though there are extremely nice people there. One man, the musical critic of the N.Y. Evening Post, has a beautiful flower garden. This afternoon we drove by a devious path to West Bethel, crossing the Androscoggin on the littlest and nimblest ferry I ever saw. The horse was absolutely unafraid of automobiles. The roads are awful but we met lots of machines.
Here are Mrs. Emerson's pictures. [no longer with the letter] They might be better and they might be worse[.] If she thinks any are good enough so she would like more, let her choose which and you tell me, so I can order from Shorey. He finishes them so well. There are numbers on the back, and I have put duplicate numbers on the
cardsfilms, so if you write the number of prints she wishes and the number on the picture I can tell all right. I think #2 is the best, or #4, though I didn't have quite the right focus in that, and it's a bit light-struck.Tomorrow I'm invited to the Bloods'. I don't know what we are to do - I'll tell you later. I only hope it'll be as good a day as this has been. I wish my boots weren't quite so big! My feet seem to be smaller than when I wore them last year.
I must get to bed now. Here are some Bethel post-cards. [no longer with the letter] Please keep them for me.
We have heard that Mrs. Smith got home safely. The M.D. says she has a mixture of enlargement of the liver and lumbago. I'm glad she didn't stay any longer.
Olive Ware sent her love to you. Mrs. Southwick has had a letter from Miss Southwick who was so kind to you last year, and she wanted Mrs. S- to ask me to give you her love. Mrs. Dewey and Miss Sackett also have asked me to send their love to you. Miss Sackett went with the Stones today to Hermit Lake and had a beautiful time.
I must stop and go to bed.
Much love to you -
AbbyI am going to write and ask Jessee if I can stay the few days I'm in Nashua in her house o'nights. I'll not mind staying alone, or I'll get Eva to stay with me. I don't want Jessee to feel that she ought to stay over in Nashua with me, nor yet to feel that she must get a bed for me over at their tents. I'll have so much to do with the various re-packings that I don't believe I can very well fuss to go over there anyhow, even if she has a bed.