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Sunday Oct. 18. 1884.

My darling Emmie.

I hope by this time you have received my first letter: it seems so funny to think that it takes almost 2 weeks for a letter to get home. I can hardly reallize it. I hav'nt heard a sound yet from home while Mr. C. has had a letter of about 18 pages from the young lady whom he followed to Mt. Desert &c[?]. It made me feel blue I can tell you. The probabilities are that I wont receive a letter for some 2 or 3 weeks yet.

We go down to the school tomorrow to try our luck. I feel rather shaky about it as I have'nt drawn a nude figure since June and dont think I shall make a great success. However we will try and that is the best any of us can do. 

The French are a queer race, for instance: the children from Lillie's age down wear short stockings even in cold weather. 

I see them in the parks with overcoats and nothing from their knees to the tops of their stockings. I should think their legs would freeze. 

Then the women paint, well paint hardly expresses what I mean They simply load it on, but their clothes fit beautifully 

I saw a woman at least 60 years old yester in the Champs Élysés with her hair bleached that bright yellow colour and cloths that would be young enough for a girl 20 years old. The paint was laid on with a trowel I should think. Well she looked so bad that I pitied her so you can imagine she looked bad enough. Even what seem to be respectable

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