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January 12, 1937

Last night I thought that all the packing was done, except for putting our toothbrushes in a suitcase at the last moment. But as I went around the house gathering up all the little odds and ends that I could not bear to leave behind, the contents of the suitcase swelled and swelled. When I finally had everything packed to the stage where not another ounce could be squeezed in Bill came home with three volumes of Indo-Australian Reptiles and they had to go in, too.

The telephone and the door bell rang incessantly. Margaret Gellespie dropped in for a monent, and went out on a moneypchanging errand. Fay came, and took me to the bank to store silver, went over to Sid's to get me a hot dog, and fixed a corsage and a rosary with equal efficiency. Pep and Deb called for us at quarter to three and drove us to the Geographic, where we said good-bye to McKnew and Gilbert Grosvenor, and then to the train, where we arrived at least an hour ahead of time.

Just as the train was about to pull out, newspapaer photographers arrived, and took flashlight pictures of us standing on train steps, with me trying to show off the corsage of brown orchids which the Clarks had sent me. 

January 13.

Arrived in Chicago at 8.15. Had a second breakfast in the station, where we were joined by Fran. Went to the Field Museum, and saw Gerhard, Stanley Field, and Dr Sims. Ned Clark took us to the Stevens for lunch. Then over the Shedd Aquarium, where we spent some hours, partly to see the fish and Chute, partly to keep out of the sleet and rain that was blowing over the town. Dinner with Carl Schmitt and Charles at the Union Station, and departed on the Northern Pacific at 11 P. M.

January 14

Woke up in Minnesota. All afternoon crossing the plains of North Dakota, where the snow had been blown in ridges that looked exactly like ocean waves. White-caps and all. The illusion was heightened toward dusk, when the shadows were blue, and the snow looked more like sea water than ever, stretching illimitably toward the horizon.

January 15
Woke up in Montana. Ken Reeves, Jane and Roy Spencer met us at the train in Livingston about 8.30. Mr. Reeves got on the train and rode with us as far as Logan, an hour or so later. At Butte Jay Smith got on, and had lunch with us, leaving us at Deer Lodge.
As we crossed the Continental Divide, and saw the spectacular stretches of snow-covered mountains, I wondered why Bill had ever left his native state. The train went through Garrison, and I was thrilled to see the country in which Bill ranched as a boy.

January 16

Woke up in Washington. Heavy snow covered the Cascades, and loaded the great pine trees with armfuls of white. We reached

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