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^[[circled]] 666 [[/circled]]

[[stamped]] JUL 21 1924 [[/stamped]]

Afton, Iowa. July 15, 1924.

W. Atlee Burpee Co.
Philadelphia, Pa.

Dear sirs,

It was during the summer of nineteen hundred seventeen that I realized most fully what Burpee"s seeds meant to me. That year the dark war-clouds had crossed the sea and were hovering over our own dear land. A darker cloud gathered over our home - a cloud that threatened to shut us away from light and hope through all the days to come.

We always buy Burpee"s seeds. That year I had purchased a quantity of Burpee"s Sweet Peas and Shirley Poppy seed. As is always true of Burpee"s seeds, they had made fine, upstanding plants. They were almost ready to bloom when, one perfect evening in June, our small girl of eight years ran to the barnyard and was kicked by a horse. A physician was called; an operation was necessary. We hastened to a hospital but the doctors held out little hope. The days passed, our anxiety deepened. Then the Sweet Peas and Shirley Poppies began to bloom. Their masses of exquisite blossoms thrust into our heats a ray of hope. The gleam of hope reacted upon the child; she began to recover and slowly but surely our beloved was given back to us.

Yours truly,

[[signature]] Ruth E. Longshore [[/signature]]