The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-11-10
Little Great-Grand mothers Letter.


"Oh, dear!" said Clarice, chow
dreadful it is to write letters!" Clar-
Ice was writing letter to go across
plains and mountains and rivers, to
grandma in far-off California. At first
the lines had all been straight, and the
upright, precise little letters neat and
nice. And now look at 'em!" scoffed
Clarice, "all up-hilly and down-daley!
/ guess grandmall think they're puff
feckly miser'ble! She said she liked
to have 'em all toe the mark, as il
they were in the geography class-oh,
dear!"
You're tired, DEAR" mammals sweet
voice said, comfortingly. Put the let
ter away and come over here. I'll
tell you how little great-grandmothe
wrote letters fifty years ago. What
do you suppose she did first?"
Got some paper m envelopes an a
fine-toothed pen and the ink" said
Clarice promptly. She couldn't see
how 1t was going to be very interesting
to talk about that. Stories were good
deal more interesting. "She got the
paper and the ink, but she didn't get
any envelope or postage stamp, and the
pen was made out of goose quill with
the pretty feather on one end. l ex-
pect she got great-great- grandfather
to sharpen it for her before she began.
Sharpen a pen-what an ideal"
Clarice was getting interested so soon.
"Why, it's pencils you sharpen, NAM
ma" Mamma smiled. Eyes, and little
great grandmother quill pens, too.
They had to be 'sharpened carefully,
to get them into pen shape, ready to
write with Then came the big sheet
of paper. I think little great-grand-
mothers must have been of pretty
blue color. And of course she made
little, neat, straight letters on it."
Mamma looked soberly at Clarice.
"Yes'm; that toed the mark an said
their geography" murmured Clarice,
same as mine don't"
Same as yours do, dear, almost al
ways. And little great-grandmothe
was particular about the blots. too,
expect, just as you are
"Oh, yes" cried Clarice, brighten
ing. "Of course she didn't want her
letter all blotted up. Do you s'pose
she had pink plotting paper, mamma?
That's the prettiest."
"She didn't have any plotting paper
at ALL" laughed mamma. Clarice's
mouth rounded into a little red circle
all ready to say '"oh,' just as mamma
went on. "She probably borrowed
great great-grandfather sand-shaker
that stood beside the ink bottle on the
mantel piece. 1t was made of lignum-
vitae wood and looked a good deal
like my salt-shaker, only it widened
out more around the top, which was
followed out like a little basin. l
think there's one at grandpa's that l
can show you some day. Great-great-
grandfather's was full of very fine
sand. When little great-grandmothe
had written her page all over, she
sprinkled it carefully with sand that
misted down through the tiny holes in
the shaker-a little sand storm Then
after a minute or two she lifted both
sides of the big sheet and let the sand
slide back into the sand box again.
That was why the top was followed
out like a BASIN" Mamma stopped
to thread a needle. oh murmured
Clarice, II think it's very INTERESTING
bout the sand shower. Go on, man.
ma"
"Well, it must have been a pretty
long letter that little great-grand-
mother wrote, because the sheet was
so big. And then, you see, the postage
was high SO long ago and people could
only afford to write letters occasion
ally"
"Why, what an ideaw cried Clarice,
in great establishment. YES" man.
ma went on, "at that time it cost ac-
cording to the distance the letter was
going-not just one stamp or two
stamps to go all over the country.
And l don't believe little great-grand-
mother ever sent letter that didn't |
cost as much as five cents. That was
one queer thing about little great
grandmother's letters. The envelope
was another"
81 thought there wasn't any, man.
ma"
"Why, there wasn't-that was what
was queerl" laughed mamma. But
when the letter was all ready to send,
1t looked very much as If twas in a
regular envelope. Little great-grand-
mother first folded the top down and
then the bottom up, so that the edges
iust met in the middle-so." Mamma
Illustrated with a piece of paper.
Then she folded both sides inward
and tucked one into the other. That
made a neat little shape like an en-
velope, you see, all ready to be direct
ed on the outside. OF course she had
only written on three sides Of the big
blue sheet. so the outside page would
be HANK"