T2020.102.376

April 12th, 1894

At home. Dear Sister Edith:

The postman was just here and delivered your kind letter and, as Ma is busy with her washing, she wanted me to answer it for her. But I was thinking of writing you a letter today, anyhow. So now is my chance while I am at home on my vacation and nothing else to do. Ma's health is about, as usual, and we all are quite as of old. Ma is very much pleased with her elegant birthday presents which you sent her. The dress she is in no hurry to have made up, but is going to take your advice about it and have a good dressmaker

do the work when she does have it made. I was sorry I could not give her something more than what I did for a birthday present. What do you think my present was? Well, I'll tell you I had forgotten it was her birthday until I got home Monday morning on my vacation. So the best I could do, under the circumstances, was to give Ma the, [underlined: pleasure], of having my, [underlined: presence], at home for a whole week for a birthday present. Don't you think that a loving present? Well, I will try and do better than that, yet one wk. from tomorrow, is payday at the Asylum and I will pay the rent and grocery bill which will be just as good as a birthday present. I have been helping Ma with washing and washing dishes this morning. Today is the first nice day we have had this week. All the rest have been rainy and cold. Yesterday, it snowed quite a bit

but melted fast as it fell. How nice it will be when the weather gets warm again. Yes, Edith, I passed all of my examinations in them lectures, all O.K., and didn't study very much either. My grades were 96 1/2, one hundred being perfect, 65 a failure. Now, since I passed my examinations, I will be entitled to annother raise in salary which will be $28.00 per mon. After the board of trustees meet and sign our papers, which will be next Wednesday, and then we will get a certificate of this examination report and then our increase comences. Now I am getting $27.00. So you see, it won't be long till I get a raise of $1.00 per mon. for a little study and passing the examinations. Next Tuesday evening is our commencement.

Exercises held in the chapel. [it will] consist of music and a few speeches given by some of the Drs. The main singer is a lady coming from Akron, O. I don't think their exercises will be very much, although, I wish you could be here to attend them. Edith, I am not going out of the city on my vacation, as the weather is so disagreeable and windy and would be so hard getting around over the country roads from place to place and it wouldn't do for me to go to Salem and not get out Frank's, for they would think hard of it and, everything considered, I decided it best not to go. Besides, I didn't have money enough without drawing part of my back pay and I don't want to do that until I quit for good. But I am enjoying myself very well at home. Only wish you could be here to enjoy a part

of my pleasures with me. I think we would have a good time. Tuesday evening, Sadie and I went to a theatre at the Opera House. I forget the name of the play, but it was the best I ever seen. It was grand. This makes the 2nd theatre for me since I have worked at the Asylum. Tonight, Sadie, Mary and myself are going out to spend the evening at Mr. & Mrs. Jones on St. Clair St. They are friends of Lawry's and very well to do. I am to meet the girls at the store at 6 o'clock and are going right from their work. So you see, I will be right in it for supper too. I seen Ava Bartsough and a gentleman