Rutland Hospital,
Rutland, Mass.
Nov. 1, '99My dear Susie:-
I was much pleased to receive your last letter. I hope you are enjoying your school work very much.
I sent your letter home, for all our family are interested in you, and yours.
It is a damp miserable day, but we have been having beautiful weather in October. I went home for five days the first of the month. It was perfect only a little cold. I was very busy trying to put my winter clothes in order and my visit seems almost like a dream. I was at church and saw the friends[.] They all thought I was looking much better than when I went away.
Olin writes that they are getting over the results of the cyclone in Porto Rico. The supplies of food are more than adequate to fill the need.
He now has his college chum - Nichols with him as secretary. They have good times together. He is very busy indeed - in fact, was driven nearly to death, as he expressed it, only narrowly escaping prostration. The rush is somewhat past now and the rainy season over.
Miner came to see me last Monday, on his way to his winter's work in Gardener. [sic] He is going to work in the chair-shop. He will be quite near me, and while it is wheeling, he may be able to come over Sundays sometimes. That will be nice. He is looking real well now.
Father and mother will be rather lonely, I expect. They are quite well now.
They visited Melvin Shepard a few weeks ago - had a nice time.
Father went to the Grand Army Encampment at Philadelphia in Sept. and thought it a fine outing.
Mother and Miner attended the Mass. State C.E. Convention at Springfield two weeks ago.
Miner has done some temperance work in Brimfield this year. He is Constable.
I used to think Mansfield a nice town when I changed cars there in going to Elsie's. She wrote me she expected to be in No. Middleboro about the 18th of Oct for a week. I think they will be warmly welcomed.
Oh! the autumn foliage was gogeous [sic] in Rutland this year. We can see a long distance in all directions. It looks very different now that the leaves have fallen I little thought when I saw the leaves open in May, that I should stay here to see them fall. I may stay all winter now.
We had a visit from Governor Walcott a week ago today. Every thing about the place was put in apple-pie order and he and his staff expressed themselves much pleased with the appearance.
Last night the girls had a little Halloween party. One won a cake as a prize. She generously shared with all. As luck would would [sic] have it. The ring, the thimble and dime were all in the married women's pieces.
We now have a King's Daughter's birch here in the Hospital. We enjoy that.
We have money enough pledged to furnish a Kings Daughter's Room to be used by the sickest patient.
We do the weekly mending for the men patients.
Just now, the electric lights went out and left us in darkness for five minutes.
I have been taking advantage of this rainy day to do some sewing. I finished making me a blanket wrapper. It looks good, and will be nice and warm for winter. I have tried to get a supply of warm clothes for it will be very cold and windy here. We have to be out in the cold every pleasant day, and our windows are wide open at night. I can't enjoy living in close rooms now.
We have gathered quite a few nuts this Fall. There were not many good apples and consequently I long for them more than usual.
I have a very good appetite.
A nice girl whom I got well acquainted with here, went home to Foxboro last Saturday. Mabel Atwood. She has a bad knee, but her lungs are cured. She is a milliner. I miss her. I feel so sorry for her to have to go on crutches.
I must close now with much love. Write soon.
Sincerely:
Lillian M. Booth.