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52

The first letter I find among this group is one from Grandma Craton, 84, to Father from Abingdon, Va., where she is visiting the Durhams. She writes a strong, vigorous hand and there's no hint of old age. Then there's a letter dated July 23rd from Mother to Father in Syracuse, reminding him to pay Nellie, the new cook. Mother also tells an incident about me. I had gotten change for a quarter from Mr. Wardner so as to have a nickel to give an itinerant entertainer with a trained bear, only I actually gave him 15 cents, explaining to Mother that five didn't seem enough. I retain this same characteristic to this day; I'm always afraid I'm not tipping enough and often wind up tipping not only too much but also more than anybody else. The letters go on through July and on into early August. Mother writes the Kingsburys are there. Also, Lon, the fishing guide from Rustic Lodge had shown up. Mother wants Father to buy a flannel shirt for me, 9-year-old size, indicating that I was small for my age. Goodrich Barker died at this time and there is considerable on this. Father writes a letter on July 30th saying that after a long day's work and an evening nap at home, he had gone downtown on the streetcar, the auto being in for repairs, and was at the Citizens Club at 11 p.m. writing this letter which he would then mail downtown so it would get off before midnight. He adds, "Don't worry about me." Then there's a letter from Father apologizing for words (over the phone) yesterday; evidently they had had a spat over something. The following day there's another letter from Father complaing about the pressure he's under, the expense of things in general, and the fact that going up to Lake Clear every weekend is too fatiguing. I must say that Mother seems to have put a lot of heat on him to write every day, which I think was asking too much of someone as busy as he was, for he'd have to go out many evenings making calls and hospital visits after an exhausting day -- and then he was expected to write a letter on top of it all. There were a few telegrams to Mother which he'd send if he hadn't been able to write.

We then jump to letters later in August from Mother to Father at the Clifton Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where he evidently had gone to a medical meeting. It closes with "---please be careful what you eat and [[underlined]]drink[[/underlined]]." The underscoring is Mother's. She writes him again the next day reporting on spending some time at the office because Miss Keefer was evidently on vacation and the substitute girl was ill. Mother writes: "Money has not been pouring into the office but a cheque for $8 came by post today." Also: "Forman seems happy playing with Jack Seiter."

This ends any written records available to me for the year 1912. Apparently Lake Clear was satisfactory to my parents because we returned there the following year which was more of the same. However, there is further correspondence and I'll review that briefly: