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This is one of three thank-you letters that Kathleen dutifully wrote all on the same day: one to Alma, one to Eva, and one to Mama Margaret. The ones to Eva and to Mama Margaret are quite similar, but the one to Alma is a little different - possibly because Mama Margaret and Alma would both have in South Hadley, and possibly because Alma had just been on a visit to Will and Kathleen.
The three letters are:
The three letters are:
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2201 Nelson Avenue,
Mt. Auburn
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 21
My dear Alma,
I expect you think I have been a very long time in thanking you for the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us. Really it was not lack of appreciation, but rather a little misunderstanding that has made me so long in thanking you. For some time I thought that silver was to come out of the present my parents gave us. I hope you do not think me rude. As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift and it will be a constant reminder of your kindness.
The brush + cloths that you gave me are all proving very useful and are really a great help.
We go along much as when you were here. I did begin on the curtains and then decided not to put them up until later, so I have set them aside for a time.
Evidently you took the cool weather away with you, for it has been hot again here, since you left.
Will is getting quite enthusiastic over the lawn. He cut it and has watered it nearly every evening and it has wonderfully improved already and is ready to be cut again, so we are hoping that it time it will be worthy of its name.
I am sending you a few articles which came up in the laundry after you left, and which you will probably need, also a letter.
Margaret is bonnie, as usual. She is sound asleep with Big Eva.
I do hope you had a pleasant journey to Massachusetts.
Thank you again ever so much for your beautiful gift. Love from us all.
Affectionately yours,
Kathleen
Mt. Auburn
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 21
My dear Alma,
I expect you think I have been a very long time in thanking you for the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us. Really it was not lack of appreciation, but rather a little misunderstanding that has made me so long in thanking you. For some time I thought that silver was to come out of the present my parents gave us. I hope you do not think me rude. As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift and it will be a constant reminder of your kindness.
The brush + cloths that you gave me are all proving very useful and are really a great help.
We go along much as when you were here. I did begin on the curtains and then decided not to put them up until later, so I have set them aside for a time.
Evidently you took the cool weather away with you, for it has been hot again here, since you left.
Will is getting quite enthusiastic over the lawn. He cut it and has watered it nearly every evening and it has wonderfully improved already and is ready to be cut again, so we are hoping that it time it will be worthy of its name.
I am sending you a few articles which came up in the laundry after you left, and which you will probably need, also a letter.
Margaret is bonnie, as usual. She is sound asleep with Big Eva.
I do hope you had a pleasant journey to Massachusetts.
Thank you again ever so much for your beautiful gift. Love from us all.
Affectionately yours,
Kathleen
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1.
2201 Nelson Avenue,
Mt. Auburn
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 21
The year isn’t given but it has to be 1916
2.
I expect you think I have been a very long time in thanking you for the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us. Really it was not lack of appreciation, but rather a little misunderstanding that has made me so long in thanking you. For some time I thought that silver was to come out of the present my parents gave us. I hope you do not think me rude. As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift and it will be a constant reminder of your kindness.
I don't understand this explanation. It is clear from the letter that Alma had been visiting Will and Kathleen. Kathleen says "the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us", which sounds as though the silver has not yet arrived. But then Kathleen says "As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift", which sounds as though it had already arrived when Alma was visiting. I just don't get it. Either I'm being obtuse, or else maybe there was a slightly more embarrassing explanation that Kathleen did not want to give.
3.
Margaret is bonnie, as usual. She is sound asleep with Big Eva.
Kathleen’s mother was originally from Dundee, I think (or anyway, someplace in Scotland; I should check) and maybe when Kathleen is talking about children, Scottishisms from her own childhood come to her mind. I have an idea that I've seen Kathleen using "bonnie" elsewhere with reference to children. I'll be keeping an eye out for it.
As for Big Eva, Margaret's dolls seemed always to be named for her paternal aunts.
2201 Nelson Avenue,
Mt. Auburn
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 21
The year isn’t given but it has to be 1916
2.
I expect you think I have been a very long time in thanking you for the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us. Really it was not lack of appreciation, but rather a little misunderstanding that has made me so long in thanking you. For some time I thought that silver was to come out of the present my parents gave us. I hope you do not think me rude. As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift and it will be a constant reminder of your kindness.
I don't understand this explanation. It is clear from the letter that Alma had been visiting Will and Kathleen. Kathleen says "the beautiful silver which Will tells me you + your mother and Eva are giving us", which sounds as though the silver has not yet arrived. But then Kathleen says "As you know we get a great deal of pleasure out of using your gift", which sounds as though it had already arrived when Alma was visiting. I just don't get it. Either I'm being obtuse, or else maybe there was a slightly more embarrassing explanation that Kathleen did not want to give.
3.
Margaret is bonnie, as usual. She is sound asleep with Big Eva.
Kathleen’s mother was originally from Dundee, I think (or anyway, someplace in Scotland; I should check) and maybe when Kathleen is talking about children, Scottishisms from her own childhood come to her mind. I have an idea that I've seen Kathleen using "bonnie" elsewhere with reference to children. I'll be keeping an eye out for it.
As for Big Eva, Margaret's dolls seemed always to be named for her paternal aunts.
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DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- MAMA MARGARET: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- KATHLEEN: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- THE NEXT GENERATION: DOCUMENTS ----- Maggie
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