Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason

[page 1]
William Gleason,
Manufacturer of Machinists Tools,
Office, Brown’s Race,

Rochester, N.Y., September 24th. 1888
My Dear Jim,-
Your card was received Saturday and it lifted a two ton
pressure off my mind. If you passed the three examinations of the
first day you will probably get in any way. By the way was’nt
grammar one of them. You don’t mean to insinuate, do you, that you
have passed grammar? If you have there won’t be anything in this
town too good for you. We will celebrate with a bon-fire and throw
in a torch-light procession; we could’nt go to the extent of the pro-
cession ordinarily but just now they are a glut in the market and a
body can get one for any occasion for a mere song.
Please accept the
enclosed tie and cuff buttons as a recognition of your glorious ser-
vices to the firm by your Friday’s work. If I hear that you have
been permitted to enter the university, I will send you an embroider-
ed cuff and collar box and a fancy laundry bag and a sofa pillow and
a fancy decorative scarf, and a slumber rug and a dress suit chest
protecter and an embroidered table cover in case you need one and
some shirt studs. And if there is anything else you want, all you
will have to do is to mention it.
You can’t have given the boys
very much notice of the day of your departure for Conrad was at the
house Friday morning to tell Mamma how sorry he was he had’nt heard

[page 2]
in time to see you off and Geismar was here Saturday and he was very
much surprised when I told him you had gone. Conrad will stop off
to see you when he goes to New York. I saw him this morning when he
asked me to go down to-morrow and take a picture of the yacht. So
Archie has evidently delegated the job; Geismar wants me to wait un-
til next Sunday but it will probably be better to go on a week day.
Mamma and Andrew and Elinor and I drove out to Kimberly’s yes-
terday; the roads were like velvet and it was one of the prettiest
days I’ve seen this year. Emma had a head-ache so she could’nt take
the drive but she was feeling considerably better when I went over to
see her last night.
The German Club was at our house Saturday night.
I had forgotten that it was coming and when George Fleckenstein ar-
rived I was sitting in the library with dishevelled locks and a dirty
face trying to make up my mind whether I would go to bed or go over
to see Emma. Luckily he came some time ahead of the others so I

had time to slick up. Fleckenstein is very agreable, he speaks
German well and he has considerable to say for himself in English too.
He is quite exquisate, wore a ruffled shirt that came out of his vest
in a regular puff. Vicinus does’nt curl his moustache at the ends
any more and he does’nt plaster his hair low down on his forehead nor
part it in the middle. If it were not for his high hat and his
russet leather shoes, I could have doubted whether it were him.
1 P.M.
I found your letter when I went home to dinner and I
feel still more encouraged. Will see Prof. Hale this afternoon.
Devereaux told me this morning to be sure to tell ‘James that I in
quired for him’
I’ll write you again this week when I shall have had
a chance to hunt for your gymnasium suit in the yacht and then I’ll
send you some letters of introduction to the Sage girls. You can
call on Madge if you like without a letter but I guess there is no
one else there you know unless it is Daisy Ball.
Lovingly,
Kate.