Dear Ad

I have looked for that promised letter so long that I have concluded to jog your elbow and remind you that you promised.

Those stockings and handkerchiefs came all right and were very much appreciated. I really do not know who was the most pleased that you remembered the children, Dan or the children themselves. Dan looked them all over and said "By George, Ad is a good girl" to remember those little fellows, it will do them more good than all their other presents. And so I believe it did. They came the day after Christmas. Charlie & Eddie think those handkerchiefs are the nicest things though, you see they had borders like Papa's. The ones they had were merely soft cloth hemmed.

We had a house full during the holidays and all had a good time. I had a very nice pair of morocco shoes, a pair of handsome slippers with a quilted flannel lining, and a very pretty breast pin for my Christmas presents. All from Dan. Dan a fine smoking set, in the form of a ruined castle, the various parts of the ruin forming the cigar holder, ash cup and match safe. Also a beautiful pair of ink stands with an ornament in shape of a dog smiling chin, in tan & gilt china.

The little ones had books and toys & candy 'till there seemed no end to it all. Coy strutted around showing his things to everybody for a week or more and would pull up his dress and say "These are the stockings Aunt Addie sent." You would like him, he is so pretty and so good natured. He is fatter than Charlie used to be. Charlie & Eddie go to school. Eddie reads in the first Reader and writes some. Charlie reads in the Second reader and can write and add pretty well. Allie¹, or Allikin as we most always call her, is very small, and as cute and lively as a kitten. She looks very much like Cal. She has the same little pointed chin with a dimple in it, and the same shaped face. Her eyes are very large and deep blue, her nose and mouth are large and her hair is not white, but the most perfect gold colored I ever saw. She is the greatest pet you ever saw. Every one pets her and Eddie especially thinks she is the finest thing in the land.

Ed & Mame live with us and will do so until Dan's school is out, so that I shall not be obliged to stay alone. I should have gone to town this winter with him but I thought it would not do. You see we know everybody and there are so many friends of Dan's who have no families there, and it is almost impossible to get along without inviting some one home to dinner or tea every day. This costs a great deal in this country where everything in provision line is so dear. Then you know we must live on our ranch a certain length of time in order to get a deed and if I stay, we shall soon be able to get one.

We have a splendid place and are doing very well indeed. We have fine crops of everything except corn. Which will not grow here, the climate is too cold. You know we are 7200 feet above you. We shall soon have a fine herd of cattle and have 1000 sheep now.

Anna keeps urging me to go East next summer. I could not leave in the summer time anyway. There is so much milk to attend to and then the chickens & garden. We expect to raise a great many vegetables for market this year. You never saw a finer garden than we had last year. Then cash is not so abundant with us as it was before we had so much land. You see we have built 8 1/2 miles of fence and expect to build 2 1/2 this spring. This will cost over $1000. Besides there are machines & seeds of all kinds to be bought. Fine bucks & fine bulls, etc. So you see there will not be much cash for to spend in traveling.

Then I feel as though we should be a little saving as it will only be a few years before Charlie & Eddie must be sent away to school and we must do our best to have money to send them East to the best schools to be found. Tell Grandma her Eddie is one of the smartest boys in his books in the whole country. Charlie is smart but Eddie beats him. Tell Grandpa Charlie says he would like to see him and ride the old mare.

Give them my love & tell them I would like to see them very much.

Yours with love,

Alice

¹ Allie, Allikin -- first born daughter, Alice Newcomb Burnham [Homer] (1877-1956)

Letter courtesy of Peggy Newcomb Barr
This page was produced by Bob Newcomb in Brea, CA