Letters to his cousin, Mabel

Escondite Cottage Stanford Universtity, California

Sept 18th '97

My dear Cousin,

I have been intending to write to you before but I have been so very very busy that I have hardly had time to turn around.

You perhaps remember my saying that i had my last semesters work to make up after

in Pueblo, Colorado. Two days in Colorado Springs, one in Denver, and three in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The most moral and interesting experiences that I had were, 1st hiking up on Pikes Peak 14,147 feet high and 2nd going in swimming in Salt Lake - excuse me I do not mean swimming, you cannot swim there for your feet [?] the air instead of water if you try it. I just set in the water and paddled around in it. One cannot sink, it is so salt. The greatest difficulty is keeping ones feet under it requires an expert to get them where they belong if they once get near the surface of the water.

There will be over 1100 students here during the year and that will be over the greatest number that we have ever had. They are very strict for they cannot accommodate so many. Much love to all from your loving cousin Walter.

I got back, and of course I have my regular work besides, which is enough to give me about all I should do.

I have 2/3 of the book work done now and hope to get the last third done before a month passes.

I had a delightful trip west, I had a few hours in Cincinnati and St. Louis. A night and part of a day in Kansas City. A little while

Leland Stanford Junior University, Oct. 17th 1897

Dear Mabel:-

I was very much pleased to receive your nice letter, and a good likeness of you in the same envelope, a short time ago.

Yes I remember I made an agreement with you about your photos, but I have been thinking that you would have no use for

it if I returned it, and it would give me pleasure to keep it so I thought I would ask you if I could not. I will forward it however if you request it.

We have been having beautiful weather this last week - quite warm in the sun at noon day and nice and cool every night

The co-eds (as they call the girls) are still wearing their