arly in such a note the day and train which you
would like your friend to take, and the length of time you expect her to
stay with you. Formerly it was regarded as inhospitable to limit in any
way the duration of a friend's visit, but we understand now that it is
more convenient and comfortable for all concerned to have the precise
number of days or weeks indicated. This arrangement enables your friends
to make other engagements, and leaves you free to invite other friends
if, as often happens, you can have the pleasure of entertaining
successive guests during a summer. Let me give you some examples.

Mary Hills wishes to ask Abby Lewis to spend a week with her at Dove's
Nest in the Catskills, Mary's country home. Her letter of invitation
might be written as follows:

DOVE'S NEST, TANNERSVILLE P.O., NEW YORK.

DEAREST ABBY,--It seems very long since I saw you. Mamma and I
were talking last night about the delightful visit we had at your
home just before the Van Blarcoms went abroad. It is very lovely
at Dove's Nest now, and we are anxious to have you see the place
while our sweet-pease and nasturtiums are in bloom. Won't you come
on Thursday, the twentieth, by the ten-o'clock train (West Shore),
and stay with me till Monday, the thirty-first? I will meet you at
the station on Thursday afternoon. We have a new golf course, and
all sorts of pleasant things are going on.

Hoping soon to see you, I am, dear Abby,

Yours lovingly,
MARY HILLS.
July fifteenth, eighteen--

Abby's reply would probably be somewhat like this:

182 SEVENTY-EIGHTH STREET, NEW YORK.

DEAR, DEAR MARY,--How good you are to ask me for so charming a
visit! It will give me the greatest pleasure to go to you on the
twentieth and to stay for ten days, as you suggest. You may expect
to see me flying down the station to meet you when the ten-o'clock
train reaches the mountains on that afternoon. I can hardly wait
for the blissful time to arrive. Mamma sends her love, and I am,
as ever,

Devotedly yours,
ABBY LEWIS.

A household critic suggests to me at this point that "Dearest Abby" and
"Dear, dear Mary," are rather gushing, and not quite in the approved
literary style which ought to be shown to girls. But I am talking to
real girls, and I know how they write, and I don't mind in the least a
little effervescence in the way of adjectives. I like gir