Category: Extra letters

To Bertha from Harriet Reid –

(Date is approximate)

S. Antonius – Fiesole

Friday Morning

My dear Miss Bertha,

I told Canon Turini yesterday evening how kindly and courteously you had responded to my suggestion, but that after seeing you I thought you much too tired and run down to be bothered with luncheon guests. I had therefore thought it best to deter our visit – especially as I’ve shall have the pleasure of seeing you here before long to spend the rest of the summer. So please don’t be worried about it anymore. I should never have thought of it if I had known how far from fit you are. When I am in town, I’ll look in on you and hear how things are going with you.

Many thanks for your kind guidance yesterday. Today I am devoting myself to my new hat!!

Yours always.

Sincerely,

Harriet Reid

P.S. But know comes your letter. I still think you should be left in peace judging by what I myself should want if I was in your place. I could not feel happy in making any demand on you. So please believe that I do indeed appreciate your kindness in repeating your invitation that it is with goodwill and affection which in this case keep me away.

By the way, the plan was mine, not Don Luigi’s. He did not make any request be he welcomed my suggestion. That as we are going to the flower market together. We might take the opportunity to see your pictures and if you still wished it, accept your kindly repeated invitation to us both to lunch with you. We should have been a very happy trio… If you had been well, but not as things unfortunately are with you at the present. A few months in Fiesole will work wonders for you. Meanwhile, don’t worry about anything or anybody. Be sure that all here are cordially your friends.
H.R.

2941 Summit

Spokane

May 13, 1932

Dear Bertha,

Just a note to let you know that we are well and busy and that I have just received a check from Helena Vearey for seventy-five dollars ($75.00), so it is at your order at any time.

Little Martha has been quite sick, in a peculiar way. They suppose she fell and hurt her knee, anyway, it became very badly infected before they knew what was wrong. She was in the hospital for some little time with drainage tubes in the knee, and, of course, great pain and fever for a time. She is getting along now, has been home for a week. I think Dairy Cooper is still in the hospital will be sometime longer, I believe, but the bone is heading, and _____ says show that she broke loose some adhesions in the knee so that it will probably be better than it has been for a long time.

I wonder how things are going with you. Are there any improvements? I wish you were here. It is “lilac time,” and never were there more or finer blooms. The honeysuckle is just beginning to open and I think there must have been at least two hundred of the early purple and white iris out today.

It keeps everybody on the place busy trying to keep up with the grass and weeds, but we can’t do it. However, we accomplished something and et a spot in the house cleaned between times.

Isabel is having a picnic on Sunday, to which Sally is supposed to go, and she is not a bit enthusiastic, says she would rather run the lawn mower. I don’t know where they are going and if there is a person except _____ under fifty it will be the two _____ and they were not sure they would be able to go.

Sally had no excuse ready so she will have to go, unless it rains or something. We almost had a dust storm today, hard wind but not much dust. Yesterday was quite a summer day, warm even at bedtime, but it was the only evening we have had which was warm.

We are having to begin watering the grass. It is green how soon it gets dry. Well, I guess there is not much more to write about and it is getting a bit chilly and too late to start a fire. So, I am going to bed.

Love to all,
Mamma

2920 Sherwood Ave.
Spokane, Washington

November 18, 1937

Dear Bertha,

I hope the flu is all gone by this time, and have no doubt it is, if you did not try to _____ it and I hope you are not overlooking your eyes just after it. Maybe I am wrong, but I have a notion that flu leave the eyes a little tired and weak.

Well, there is no news to write, only that Sally fancies she can see the end of her dental appointments. She has one tomorrow. I am enclosing a card to show you that there is still one person in Spokane who observes the social _____ to some extent at least.

I had meant to go to call on Mrs. Oudin before now, but calling is quite an effort, and I am very lazy. There are so many people I feel I really feel I should call on.

Oh, I have a Christmas present! Aunt Bertha end me one of her rugs. It is beautiful! And so much work as it must have been. Five feet long and five feet wide and the colors wonderfully shaded and blended. I don’t know where to put it, but I am proud of it. I really do not see how she manages to handle large rugs and get them to lie smoothly.

We are having our first cold. The mercury dropped to below freezing by nine o’clock last night, however, it must have been warmer towards morning. Sally said is snowed this morning. I could not see any.

We think we are going to Mr. Oudin’s reception, although I just would not go to a church luncheon and program today. The last one almost finished me, mostly because our new clergyman had so many ideas that everything took twice the usual time. We are going to have another new one or none at all next month.

I had a letter from Dan Hyde, who used to have a _____ store here years ago. They live in Oakland now. He inquired for you and ask to be remembered. I can hardly make myself believe that a week from today is Thanksgiving.

I have just started some knitting. Thought I’d make George a scarf for Christmas, now I wonder, the wool this year is horrible, all bumps, if one makes a mistake, it can’t be pulled out, so I’ll have to be very careful. However, it does not slip off the needles, and it can’t ravel.

November 19

I did not get this ready for the mail and when it came, it brought be a nice long letter from you.

I am so glad the flu was not bad! But don’t let it come back on you. It is pretty late for such advice, is it not?

I was interested to see what a nice note your Italian friend writes. It would be wonderful to know a foreign language so well.

We have our first snow this morning and it is very little, but it looks as if it might snow more.

Don’t worry about me, I really am very well and could do lots more work, if Sally would let me, not that there is very much to do. We make our meals very simple, but they are good and I seem always to have a good appetite, and, I guess I eat more than I should. It tries me to get out in a crowd, that is many people talking, but then ways I seem about as well as ever. I am forgetful, however, and get easily confused and uncertain over things. I do not believe I could ever have gone through all the business of selling the place and getting the odd jobs connected with it finished, if I had not been able to depend on Sally. She knows how to go about so many things and she is clear headed and knows business _____ and all that. We are through with all of it now, I think, and very comfortable although there are still things to do be done as we got to them. Having done what had to be done, there has been a tendency to rest and let things slide.

The clipping I sent you was in regard to a resolution passed by the “Garden Club” and I believe the “Chamber of Commerce” to plan lilacs all over the city, more or less, in memory of Dr. Lambert, who so loved flowers. To make Spokane a “City of Lilacs,” rather a nice idea, don’t you think? I have not written to Helen since she went to Boston, must do so.

So you say Dr. Lambert was more than a fine man and a grand doctor. He was never too tired to give of himself to others, and had a wonderful way of doing so. I was amused at your troubles with the dressmaker, but I should think you would feel like pulling her hair and a few other friendly little gestures. I hope you have better luck next time. Don’t fret about being too comfortable, if you can be comfortable and can find some enjoyment in your life, don’t miss it. Take what you can. I do not feel that there has been as much of taking what one can get in our family as there should have been. Too many things have been allowed to slip away, because in some way, it was considered desirable to do or not to do so and so.

I must stop now. My hand is a little numb. It bothers me sometime but not badly.

Take care of yourself and try to keep warm.

Your loving Mamma.