, cheap but becoming, and her shoes were
mates. Lennie was the center of family pride. She represented all
their longings.

Before I left, Connie whispered to me that she would very soon have
money enough to pay for her mother's tombstone. "Then I will have had
everything I ever wanted. I guess I won't have anything else to live
for then; I guess I will have to get to wanting something for Lennie."

On our way home even the mosquito bites didn't annoy me; I was too
full of Connie's happiness. All my happiness lacked was your presence.
If I had had you beside me to share the joy and beauty, I could have
asked for nothing more. I kept saying, "How Mrs. Coney would enjoy
this!" All I can do is to kind of hash it over for you. I hope you
like hash.

With much love to you,
ELINORE.

II

THE START

IN CAMP ON THE DESERT,
August 24, 1914.

DEAR MRS. CONEY,--

At last we are off. I am powerfully glad. I shall have to enjoy this
trip for us both. You see how greedy I am for new experiences! I have
never been on a prolonged hunt before, so I am looking forward to a
heap of fun. I hardly know what to do about writing, but shall try to
write every two days. I want you to have as much of this trip as I can
put on paper, so we will begin at the start.

To begin with we were all to meet at Green River, to start the
twentieth; but a professor coming from somewhere in the East delayed
us a day, and also some of the party changed their plans; that reduced
our number but not our enthusiasm.

A few days before we left the ranch I telephoned Mrs. Louderer and
tried to persuade her to go along, but she replied, "For why should I
go? Vat? Iss it to freeze? I can sleep out on some rocks here and with
a stick I can beat the sage-bush, which will give me the smell you
will smell of the outside. And for the game I can have a beef kill
which iss better to eat as elk."

I love Mrs. Louderer dearly, but she is absolutely devoid of
imagination, and her matter-of-factness is mighty trying sometimes.
However, she sent me a bottle of goose-grease to ward off colds from
the "kinder."

I tried Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, but she was plumb aggravating and
non-committal, and it seemed when we got to Green River that I would
be the only woman in the party. Besides, all the others were strangers
to me except young