III

Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts.
October 24, 1912.

Proprietor of the General Store,
Fayville, ---- County,
West Virginia.

Dear Sir:

I am informed that you are occasionally purchasing, through one Judd
Amos, of Webb's Gap, sweetgrass baskets made by a little mountain girl
of that settlement.

I am interested in her work, and herewith enclose a money order in the
sum of ten dollars ($10.00) with which I will ask you to purchase at a
rate reasonably in advance of the one you are now paying, all the
baskets which she sends to you. You may express them to my address each
month, and I will forward further funds upon request.

Please do not mention my name in connection with this transaction; but,
if any questions are asked, merely say that you have obtained a city
market for them.

Very truly yours,
(Dr.) Donald MacDonald.

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IV

Webb's Gap. Vir.
November 24, 1912.

Dear Dr. McDonald:

How many letters do you guess I have written to you so far this month?
24. Yes, I have written you a long letter every day, telling you all the
things I did, and thought, but of course I did not mail them, for I knew
that you would get tired of reading them.

But this one I am going to send, for grandfather has asked me to let you
know that he has shot that wild turkey bird for your Thanksgiving--which
is Thursday--and has sent it to you by express package from Fayville. I
was with him when he did it.

Evenings come right early now and we went into the woods just before sun
down. It was right beautiful, and I wished that you could have been with
us. I will try and tell you what I saw like I do in my daily letters
that my teacher says are practice themes. (I could not have spelled that
to save my life a month ago.)

Well, except for the big pine trees which never seem to change, just
like granddaddy, all the tall forest people and the half grown-up
children-bushes, had put on bright new dresses in honor of Thanksgiving
time. They were red, made of many colored patches like