Folder 18.  Letters to her family.  September-December 1909.    24 items. 

Saturday 7.30 a.m.  “Dearest Mother—My train has not yet pulled out of the station, so you see I am making an early start with this letter!”

“It is eleven o’clock of a warm Sunday morning—the hot weather katydids or cicadas are singing away outdoors—and I have just arranged a bowl of lilies of the valley…”

“To my dearest Mother—My dear blue-eyed, lovely, joyous-hearted, fascinating Mother!”

Sunday Morning  “It is a beautiful day—cool and sunny.  Mr. Hufford is out in his garden…”

“My best love to the dearest of Mothers!  The birthday lady is probably already in bed…”

“My dear ones—Are you having a drive this week, as you did last, under beautiful skies…”

Sunday afternoon “A warm, still, heavy-aired day, my dearest Mother, that makes one feel lazy and incapable of ambition, and that is somehow pleasant, too…”

Thursday Evening “To my dearest Mother and sister—Figure to yourselves your Ethel jumping up from a game of Canfield, in a sudden recollection that it is letter home night…”

“Sunday afternoon, the sun just shining after a long rain—and a coolness and clearness in the air such as we haven’t had for days.”

“Dearest Mother—I am so glad Aunt Ida went off better.”

Sunday Afternoon “Dearest Mother—I write ‘afternoon,’ but the gas has been lighted since quarter of four—on account of the rain, which began about noon…”

[October 20, 1909]  “My birthday evening.  Such a plummy birthday!”

1209 Park Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana “I wish you could see the chrysanthemum plant we bought at market yesterday, for 35¢!”

“Dearest of dear Mothers, is it any comfort to you to know that I would give a great lot to be able to say to you this afternoon, ‘Now, Arabella, you go to bed with the hot-water bag…”

“Dearest Mother—It seems lonesome to me, tonight—and I have felt blue and apprehensive about you—because I have had no letter at all from you this week…”

“Dearest Mother—Is Mr. Jones has been and gone with his Sure’s and Goshes…”[sic]

“Dearest Mother and Helen—Two letters from home in two days! and nobody sick…”

“Dearest Mother—Please send my Greek Dictionary in the pkg. on Monday.”

[Arabella: November 19, 1909] “Dearest Mother and Helen—Oh, oh, oh! but it has turned splendidly cold…”

Saturday “Dearest Mother—I forgot to send you this check yesterday…”

“well, dears, I had a shopping-day yesterday, and I wish you could see the humble array of’ ‘presents’ I have on my bureau-top.”

“Merry Christmas to you—dear ones of mine!  I hope packages are arriving with every mail, and the expresswagons [sic] driving up to the door in a continuous procession…”

[Helen: December 1909]  ‘Dearest Mother and Helen—It is really Merry Christmas day at last, a snowy and cold one out of doors, with a gray sky that snowflakes flutter out of every now and then…”

“To Arabella, Helen, and Peter Pan—Greeting!  and most happy New Year wishes to them and to Mr. de Long.  I am sorry that the little package I have for your New Years’ can’t be posted till December 31 or January 1, because I can’t get one thing in it done on time…”