I was looking for a dreary January letter & was pretty sure I would not be disappointed!
This is from Julia Dinsmore to her niece, Patty Selmes, a widow who split her time among the various houses of her friends and her sister.
Jan. 31st 1907
My darling b.b.
...Your friends seem very thoughtful and kind and although you can’t help being worried by Bob’s [Patty's son-in-law] illness and the change of their plans you must not be so low-spirited. Life is dull as one grows old, naturally. I don’t suppose even a flower enjoys fading, but this pitiful world is the best we know and if any of us get tired of it and quit before quitting time we may go to a loneliness undreamed of now. On a dark day like this I shove my chair nearer the window and thank God there is somebody I love to write to and to expect to hear from – someone who remembers my tastes and takes the trouble to cut out scraps and send me that may take my thoughts from dark chilly days and the shortcomings of servants and hands...."