Hotel Maryland
Pasadena, Cal.March 9-
Dear Aunt Emma,
You were very kind to remember S.T. on his birthday & I think I enjoyed his celebration as well as he as I had the privelege [sic] of reading each one of the seventeen letters, he received, it was a great day for him, he told all his friends and acquaintances about them and I could see that he was quite puffed up, to think he was of so much importance, well he is a pretty good boy if he is mine and I tell you I miss him when he is away, as he is at present he has gone up into northern Cal. where he was last summer he will be away two or three weeks, and then came back here for a few weeks when we shall probably go back with him to Yreka, & board there while he is at the Claim in the mountains, it is too cold for Annie & I up there now, we are enjoying the beauties of southern Cal. now and while it is cool, it is sunshiny and the flowers are blooming on every side. The orange trees loaded with fruit, and the Birds singing sweetly Pasadena is a wonderfully pretty spot it is now crowded with tourists, but the crowd has changed since we have been here as people are coming and going all the time, daytime is spent in sightseeing. Evenings at Cards, and so the days go by, and so fast, I am writing here, and about three hundred other people are playing five hundred or Bridge & such a chattering, I may get confused, and write down what they are saying but I guess that would be impossible but I just through I wanted to talk to you, and so I am trying, I hear you are talking of spending some time with Jessie again & the summer in Phillips, so we are looking forward to seeing you. I shall be so glad to be in my home and with my family again it seems a strange Providence that has compelled us to come out here. S.T. to begin anew but we feel we have been guided or sent, or both, and while it tears the heartstrings somewhat, we hope it is right, and we shall be better for it in many ways, sometime[.]
This is a city of Church and such beautiful ones, we attend a Presbyterian Church very near our Hotel, Dr. McLord a wonderful preacher his Church holds about two thousand people, & is literally packed morning & Evening every every [sic] sunday. [sic] We have heard Dr. Meridith [sic] who was once in Boston, he has just resigned, the work being to[o] much for him now, & he unable to find an associate Pastor who suited him, there is a very large Scientist Church in process of erection & crowds follow there also.
We did not see Dr. Fink as we did not receive the address untill [sic] we had left San Francisco but we shall probably go back there in April, & will try and find them which I think we may do very easily as they are on the street and only a few doors from the same address as my cousins there on Valejo street, San Francisco is a sad looking city although people are hard at work building as fast as possible, but still there are blocks & blocks, of nothing but fallin [sic] bricks to tell the story.
Louise is working hard writes me occasionally. I think she enjoys this year best of all, I have made a long letter of this hope you are not tired out, remember me to your daughter, & accept much love from us all.
sincerely
Mina Wellman