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Stoughton, Mass.
26 Apr. 1931.

Dear Sid:

It is pouring guns up here.  We have all had a little nap after dinner, and now are up.  Pa is walking about commenting on the way it is raining, "--like the devil."  Dr. Ewing was here early.  He said there wasn't any need of my coming up, that had there been he would have let me know himself.  He said Pa wasn't any worse, which meant he was better, and the embolism wasn't spreading or a hemorrhage occurring.  What he needed was to let up on his work, hand in his resignation the 1st of May, give up the cooperative work, keep the store, -- just as a place to stop when he was downtown, to give him something to think about.  He said in another week Pa would go downtown, and urged us to get him to working about the place, puttering about in the garden.  Pa is as glum as an oyster over that.  He is afraid to do a thing, says he's through, and is unwilling to try.  But I think he may in a few days with enough encouragement  Pa's reasoning powers are just as keen as ever.  He is at a loss for nouns chiefly, and proper names most of all.  Dr. E. says that the embolism must be very slight, as there is no staggering, no pain, only this speech defect, or rather word defect.  He can with difficulty read some, but reading bothers and I think writing does too, for he was cross when I tried to get him to sign those checks, but eventually did it, somewhat to his own surprise with a conscious effort.  I shall not ask him to write any more for a while.  Dr. E. said reading & writing only