Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-01

Dear Kate:
got a lot to tell you cause things have
shaken up a bit. Do you remember that
little English woman who had oaby in the
bospital next TO Billy? Well, went out to
see her one Sunday. 1t was such nice
warm spring day, jrst seemed as though /
had TO do something different, ana the
greatest shock could give my system was
10 leave the pavements Of New York for
time. I dressed Billy in blue velvet coat l
bought at Macy's, and he had on blue nat
over his little red curls, and his shoes had
dark blue tassels on the front Of them anu
he looked cunning enough TO eat lie was
so proud Of his tassels that he showed theni
TO everybody in the street car and IN the
train. II took US almost two hours 10 get
out there, and the people mt US with
horge and buggy and drove us to their
house
why, Kate. didn't know there was such
nlaces! The house is on a side hill with
great trees around it, and in the front OF
It is a little lake with ducks and geese
swimming on it. They had great Dig
stable opening on TO a pasture where there
was calves and cows and horses ana pigs
I think stood half an hour looking at the
pigs T. is funny, but l always thousht
mig n sort Of n ham hanging up in the
window of a delicatessen, instead of being
a live. friendly animal that will come when
Won call IT, There were lot Of chickens,
white leghorns, ! think the woman called
them. and they looked friendly and home
like wandering around the place talking ana
singing to themselves like bunch of happy
s4N. T.N. nd
gave me a milk pan full of corn and told
me to hit on its edge with a spoon, and
they came fockng from every direction
some half flying, half running, as II they
we're afraid they would miss the party
They were so tame that l had TO hold tho
pan UP high 10 keep some Of the sassy
ROSTERS from climbing into It, Mrs. Smith
knows them all and can tell II one is miss
ing, though they all look alike to me She
says she hates to kill them cause it seems
like eating some Of the family. Her hus-
band laughed and said. II will tell you
the tragedy of the wrong hen" He said,
You know once week we have chicken
pot pie and for seven days Mary goes
mourning around wondering which one Of
her precious chickens she can part with
and live. We hear the virtues and the
vices Of each old biddy, cause my wife
loves each feather. The other day after
heart-breakng talks Mary decided that
Peggy could be Killed, and motherly old
hen who wanted to set should be tied up
We caught them at night and put a blue
string on Peggy and a white string on the
motherly hen, and tied them to the ice
house door. Mary took an hour and a
half to explain TO me that the chicken with
the blue string was to be eaten, and she
OF the white string was TO be left tied 10
the icehouse door until her longings toward
motherhood would stop.
In the morning when went out to see
those chickens, blest II I could tell which
was to be killed, and which was not but
I thought l would take my chance on the
fattest and l took her head Off l sup
pose you noticed Mary's eyes-it was the
wrong head"
Billy and the kid played outdoors all
day and his face got sunburnt and his
eyes sparkled, and he looked Just like
another baby. Her boy is only six months
older than Billy, but he is so much bigger,
and it just makes me sick to think can't
give this to Billy and let him have a chance