Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason
A letter from Kate Gleason to her brother, James Gleason. Kate discusses an enclosed clipping about a yacht and the family’s first spring picnic, on which they were accompanied by a descendent of Cortez. She teases Jim about sending a telegram when he passes his courses. She reports that the family’s company is now routinely laying off workers.
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William Gleason,
Manufacturer of Machinists Tools,
Office, Brown’s Race,
Rochester, N.Y., May 22 1889
Dear Jim,-
There is one advantage about your
not writing to us,- we dont have to waste
our valuable time writing answering your letters.
Enclosed please find an interesting item anent
the “Modjeska” clipped from the morning’s paper.
Evidently the boys did’nt have the reporter bought
up when he put in such a report as that. What
do you suppose has made her crack so?
Sunday we inaugurated the family picnics for
the season. We drove to the bay and we met
there Emma’s latest victim, Mr Newitt and a young
man named Cortez, descendent of the celebrated
Conqueror of Mexico; the family at present though does
not own Mexico, at least this Mr. Cortez does’nt. As
far as I could see Sunday, his possessions were
limited to a vague, sweet smile and three 2 oz.
fish.
On the 18th of May, some of the Tegg family
approached our mancion with proud & haughty
steps and showed us a cablegram from George
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with the single word “passed” on it. Our awe was deeply
profound. That simple word brought by a deputation
of his admiring relatives produced all the effect
of a heros paper announcement that he had taken all
the first prizes. If you ever pass another ex=
amination, please send us a telegram so that we too
can put on some style.
Business continues to be
[rushing?] and men continue to be [cantankerous?].
Every week we have to let some of the old hands
go and the new ones who fill their places are green
and life is a delusion and a [illegible]. Father
was in Buffalo yesterday, telegraphed for by a R.R.
company and they gave him an order for a
lathe and a planer. Pig Iron is away, way
down in price, lowest I’ve ever seen it and the poor
pig iron men are mighty blue in consequence.
We are now trying to brace ourselves to
meet the strain of three months of your society
and I think that when the two weeks yet before
your arrival are up, we will be sufficiently
fortified.
Lovingly,
Kate.