Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason
A letter from Kate Gleason to her brother, James Gleason. Kate tells Jim that after feeling like she could never forgive her brothers, she has begun to feel “kindly” towards them. She would like Mr. Wile to represent her at Gleason Works and offers to let Jim’s son, Emmett, host a dance at her house.
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Oct 19, 1922
Dear Jim,
I am very much obliged to you and
Andrew for acceding to my request to have
Mr Wile represent me at the Gleason Works.
I have no more distrust of you and
Andrew than I have of myself and I have never
distrusted you. I have felt so bitter to
you both, particularly to you, that it did not
seem credible to me that I could ever forgive
you. But the incredible has happened and
since Father’s death I even feel kindly towards
you both. It seems his influence is strong-
er with me now than when he lived.
But I have two reasons for not wishing
to serve in person. One is that I don’t like
to do business with Mr Snow. I have resented
that in 1919 when the book value of my common
stock was about $500 a share, he came to me with
a proposition to sell out to the other stock-
holders at $250.00 Then he has made no at-
tempt to pay me even the $150 a share for which
he bought 33 shares of my stock at that time. But
is taking its big dividends and keeping me on
at 5% when he knows very well that I am paying
more than that for borrowed money. He is a con-
trast to Earl and Stewart about that. Earl is all
paid up and Stewart more than half. My other
reason is that I can’t get over my old love of
the business. And it hurts me to be out of it.
If I go there, I will be like the mother-in-law
whose only child has married. It is better
to be so absorbed in something else that I have a
chance to forget it.
Very Cordially,
Your Sister Kate.
If Emmett would like to use Clonos for giv-
ing a dance this Winter, he is very welcome.
It occurred to me that now he is going out
to parties, the big dancing floor that Will
Madden designed for me might come in handy.