seem to you very ungrateful for
all the help you have given me in this unaccustomed work and for the
patience you have (occasionally) shown.

I do appreciate the fact that I could never have run this asylum by
myself without your responsible presence in the background. And though
once in a while, as you yourself must acknowledge, you have been pretty
impatient and bad tempered and difficult, still I have never held it up
against you, and I really didn't mean any of the ill-mannered things I
said last night. Please forgive me for being rude. I should hate very
much to lose your friendship. And we are friends, are we not? I like to
think so.

S. McB.

Dear Judy:

I am sure I haven't an idea whether or not the doctor and I have made up
our differences. I sent him a polite note of apology, which he received
in abysmal silence. He didn't come near us until this afternoon, and
he hasn't by the blink of an eyelash referred to our unfortunate
contretemps. We talked exclusively about an ichthyol salve that will
remove eczema from a baby's scalp; then, Sadie Kate being present, the
conversation turned to cats. It seems that the doctor's Maltese cat has
four kittens, and Sadie Kate will not be silenced until she has
seen them. Before I knew what was happening I found myself making an
engagement to take her to see those miserable kittens at four o'clock
tomorrow afternoon.

Whereupon the doctor, with an indifferently polite bow, took himself
off. And that apparently is the end.

Your Sunday note arrives, and I am delighted to hear that you have taken
the house. It will be beautiful having you for a neighbor for so long.
Our improvements ought to march along, with you and the president at
our elbow. But it does seem as though, you ought to get out here before
August 7. Are you sure that city air is good for you just now? I have
never known so devoted a wife.

My respects to the president.

S. McB.

July 22.

Dear Judy:

Please listen to this!

At four o'clock I took Sadie Kate to the doctor's house to look at
those cats. But Freddy Howland just twenty minutes before had fallen
downstairs, so the doctor was at the Howland house occupying himself
with Freddy's collarbone. He had left word for us to sit down and wait,
that he would be back shortly.

Mrs. McGurk ushered us into the library; and then, not to leave us
alone, came in herself on a pretense of polishing the brass. I don't
know what she thought we'd do