p.

George down in Wheeling W Va - no one
was here to make her happy
but me. - So as we had talked
a few weeks ago about the dear
little girls at her age, I thot -
what is the good of having
brothers unless they make their
little sisters happy - Before - during
the afternoon on Friday Grace
had walked with me to the
woods over the Saure route we
took two weeks ago this afternoon.
She was more than delighted to
walk with the old native guide
to the river - She told me in
such innocence that I had never
walked to the woods with her
before. She had never penetrated
the woods beyond the roads and
it was most pleasing to escort
her to the old Elm and down
in the "kitchen" and amid thousands
of violets. The dear
sister sat down in one cluster
and picked a whole handful
without changing her position
and when I wanted her
to come to a better spot she
said - She never before believed our
stories that flowers were so thick
we had to step on them
To say I thought of you is a
poor expression of my feelings.
I longed for you as we sat
under a canopy of pink
wild crabapple blossoms whose
fragrance is unequaled except
by the English violets. I told
sister Grace how good a time we
had in the quiet woods a
few days before - Now to tell
you we both thought of