Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason
A letter from Kate Gleason to her brother, James Gleason. Kate sends Jim money and updates him on the news from home while he has been away at college at Cornell University. She reports that their family friend, Emma Michel, “ran the house in fine shape” while their mother was visiting Jim at school and relates their mother’s impression of the various members of Jim’s fraternity whom she met. Kate tells Jim about their brother Andrew Gleason’s promotion in the company and about the disappointing performance of Jim’s former roommate, who has also been working there. She describes a recent argument among the members of her German Club and notes that she and Henry Bartholomay helped ease the tension. She looks forward to the club’s party the following night, which promises to be “the event of the season.”
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WILLIAM GLEASON,
Manufacturer of Machinists Tools,
OFFICE, BROWN’S RACE,
Rochester, N.Y., DEC. 7TH. 1888
MY DEAR JIM,-
IT’S PRETTY NEARLY THREE WEEKS SINCE I HAVE HAD THE
PLEASURE OF HEARING FROM YOU DIRECTLY BUT MOTHER ASSURES US THAT
YOU ARE FAT AND HAPPY AND SO MY MIND IS IN A MEASURE RELIEVED. EN-
CLOSED PLEASE FIND DRAFT FOR $20; HOPE IT WILL REACH YOU IN TIME TO
SAVE YOUR HONOR AND CREDIT WHICH MOTHER SAID WOULD BE IN DANGER IF
THE ENCLOSURE DOES NOT REACH YOU BY TO-MORROW. MOTHER SAYS THAT
YOU MUST NOT FORGET TO TELL MRS. KENT AT ONCE THAT YOU INTEND GIVING
UP HER ROOMS AS SHE WILL NEED THE TIME TO LOOK UP ANOTHER TENANT.
EMMA RAN THE HOUSE IN FINE SHAPE DURING THE ABSENCE OF THE HEAD OF
THE FAMILY. YOU MUST NEVER DIVULGE THE AWFUL SECRET BUT THE FACT
IS WE HAD CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE AND WE STILL LIVE. IF MOTHER ONLY
KNEW WE HAD HAD SOME OF THAT DYSPEPTIC STUFF SHE PROBABLY WOULDN’T
SLEEP FOR A WEEK.
ANDREW HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO THE HANDLE LATHE AND
WARNER HAS BEEN PROMOTED FROM SCRAPING LATHES FRAMES FOR PALMER
TO THE GEAR CUTTERS VICE ANDREW RESIGNED. PALMER TOLD DICK THAT
IF WARNER WAS’NT PUT IN SOME PART OF THE SHOP WHERE HE COUL’NT SEE
HIM, HE WOULD MURDER THE POOR BOY. SINCE WARNER WENT ON THE GEAR
CUTTERS MONDAY HE HAS SPOILED TWO GEARS AND ANDREW ONLY SPOILED ONE
ALL THE TIME HE WAS ON. WARNER’S FATHER HAS SENT HIM SOME CASH
AND IN CONSEQUENCE HE HAS LAID OFF SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING AND I BE-
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LIEVE HE NOW INTENDS TO BUY SOMETHING BESIDE THAT SPRING OVER-COAT
AND HE PAY EVEN INVEST IN A CAKE OF SOAP OF HIS OWN. I WILL SAVE
UP ALL THE GOOD ADVICE I HAVE FOR YOU UNTIL I SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS.
I HAVE SEVERAL NEW AND FRESH BRANDS THAT I HAVE NEVER GIVEN YOU YET.
MOTHER DOES’NT SEEM TO BE AS IMPRESSED WITH IDE AS SHE MIGHT BE,
SHE THINKS HE IS A ‘DEAH BOY’ WHO HAS’NT MUCH IDEA OF THE VALUE OF
CASH. BUT SHE SAYS THAT AS SHE SAW HIM BUT FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES,
HIS CHARMS MIGHT NOT HAVE DEVELOPED THEMSELVES AS THEY WOULD HAVE
, HAD SHE TALKED TO HIM FIFTEEN MINUTES. SHE SEEMS MORE IMPRESSED
WITH TANNER AND BLOOD AND COWLES THAN ANY OF THE OTHER BOYS, MORE PAR-
TICULARLY TANNER. NOW I DID’NT LIKE TANNER AT ALL AND I DID’NT
WORSHIP BLOOD RIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND BUT AS TO COWLES SHE IS ALL
RIGHT, SHE AGREES WITH ME PERFECTLY. MY FAVORITE IN THE CHAPTER IS
ARTHUR CURTIS BUT EITHER MOTHER DID’NT SEE HIM OR ELSE HE DID’NT
MAKE MUCH IMPRESSION ON HER FOR SHE CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME AT ALL.
I EXPECT GERTRUDE CRANE WILL BE GIVING IT TO ME THAT MOTHER DID
NOT CALL ON HER. AFTER ALL THE PROTESTATIONS OF AFFECTION I LAV-
ISHED ON THAT GIRL, I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN MOTHER HER ADDRESS WITH A RE-
QUEST TO CALL BUT THE FACT IS I DID’NT MENTION ANY OF THE GIRLS TO
HER PARTICULARLY FOR I SUPPOSED YOU WOULD ATTEND TO IT.
THE GERMAN CLUB HAD A BAD ROW LAST TIME,-BUT FOR HENRY BARTHOL-
OMAY AND I THERE WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE BEEN BLOOD SHED. MISS KAISER
IN THE NAME OF ALL THE OTHER LADIES GAVE THE GENTLEMEN A GOING-OVER
WHICH THEY RESENTED AND THINGS WERE LOOKING VERY THREATENING; BUT NOW
ALL IS FORGIVEN AND WE ARE TO HAVE A PARTY AT MISS GOETZMAN’S TO-
MORROW NIGHT WHICH WILL BE THE EVENT OF THE SEASON. IF YOU RUB
UP YOUR GERMAN GOOD AND HARD, MAYBE I’LL TAKE YOU TO A PARTY OF THE
CLUB WHEN YOU COME HOME AT CHRISTMAS.
Lovingly, Kate