T2020.102.243

Cleveland, O. Sept 15, 1903

Dear Sister Edith:

I received the bill book in honor of my 33rd anniversary, [sic]. All o.k. and am very, [sic], much pleased with it knowing where it came from & the giver makes it still more of a relic, and I hope you will accept my many thanks for it. Although you shouldn't of bothered sending me anything, for I didn't expect nothing at all. Our father sent me a nice 50¢ red necktie from Cleveland, Tenn. & Sarah gave me a nice white shirt to wear on my day off. So, you see, I wasn't forgotten after all, as I expected. Pa also wrote a letter & asked how you & Katie & Jennie

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are getting along. He is in McDonald, Tenn at Lauderback Springs in the mountains & said that he is thinking very strongly of making a change, & going to Oregon. So if he does, he won't be such a great ways from you. In fact, half of our family will be in the far West. He said that he is not worried & is as free as the birds of the air. We are all pretty well, but Mother L, and she is bothered with her old trouble again. It has been quite awhile since she has been bothered with it before & today she feels quite miserable. Lizzie is washing for us today and yesterday, all the schools opened &, [Anna, Enna ?], started high school, her first term.

Yesterday, we had a big fire

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[down?], town in a 9 story big block & over 1,200, principally girls and women, worked there & the fire started in the basement & smoke poured up the elevator shafts in dense volumes & filled the entire building & when the first fire companies got there, every window in the building was filled with persons ready to jump. But they all obeyed the orders of the firemen & everyone was saved. We was called downtown but, after they got all the people out, they soon got the fire under control & we were sent home again & didn't get to work. You will, perhaps, see an account of it in your papers there before you get this.

We are having more steady, hot weather now than we have had all summer & some of the trees are nearly bare of

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their leaves & things have begun to look quite fall like.

The baby is getting to be a fine big fellow. Thursday, he will be 2 1/2 years old & he can talk quite a bit. He is trying now to put words together & it is funny to hear him talk.

I hope you are in good health again ere this & take care of yourself. I don't know of anything more to say, so will say good bye & write soon. As ever, your bro., Archie