I remember when you went away soldiering—as Captain, I think—& I also remember the mountain-mahogany beef & the cobblestone busiscuits, & a number of the boarders. But a charitable Deity, overlooking services shirked, & other sins, has permitted me to forget the rest of the belongings of that boarding house & our sojourn in it: & don’t you remind me of them, do you hear? They are buried in my memory where they can’t do any harm, & I mean to let them stay there. The life out there had its pleasant side, but it was the side that was outside Mrs. Doyle’s hashery.

Well, I was very glad to hear from you, & when you come east I’ll be glad to see you, too, if you’ll look in at Hartford as you go along.