To Nell Babbitt from Bertha (letter never sent) – Approx. date
[Note: This was added: “She was a good looking enough woman in a undistinguished sort of way, paled as we are were in the tropics in ______ days when makeup was still regarded as vulgar – and why it isn’t still a bit of a puzzler.”]
2920 W. Denwood Avenue
Spokane, Washington
Dearest Nell,
Thank you so very much for your lovely letter and the beautiful handkerchief which I received on my birthday. You really should not have sent the letter but it was very sweet of you and I am enjoying it and using it with pride.
It does not seem possible that I have let two months pass without writing – but such a lot of work had piled up – and leisure hours, such as they are – and few enough – are so often interrupted – so that, thinking of you daily and intending to write. I have kept putting it off for the time when I could really collect my thoughts. Writing is so unsatisfactory as compared with seeing and visiting – to think that I had never made you understand what a great ______ and favor I considered the loan of your apartment – how deeply I appreciated it and how completely I realized the generosity of such an offer. Also, as I finally tell you, it came a time when the friendliness of the atmosphere was especially restful. It was almost – but alas, not quite like seeing you and Ethel to be in your home, recalling so many other times – over such a stretch of years.
Since beginning this, I’ve taken time off for lunch with Sally – whose day off it is – and an hour’s work in the studio – thinking as I worked along how awfully nice it would be if you could come out here and visit us sometime. You have never been one to dwell on your troubles but I do know from casual mentions of this or that occurrence, that you have had a hard life – lots of difficulties which you have met gallantly and I find myself wondering what the retirement conditions are in New York. It must surely be getting towards the time for you to take a rest. I hope there is some arrangement by which you can do so. I suppose the Social Security operates all over the country on the same basis – not much to live on – but better than nothing.
I infer that you still go to Newark when you are well enough. What about the headaches now? Am so distressed to know that you are always been subject to severe headaches, haven’t you?
How is Ethel? Is she able to do any drawing at present? We simply hate a lot of the book illustrations that are being done and would like to see some Bob Blossoms.
They own activities. A little painting here and there – a dozen things that _____ to be finished out aren’t, a little housekeeping that never really arrived, a bit of gardening that makes the beds look as if chicken has been scratching. I never felt such a muddler before – if any I could clear the seats once – I’d like to start over.
The winter has been mild – but spring has been interminably slow in coming. Half the hardy plants winter killed. It will be mid-summer before we realize that winter is over – and this spring has been complicated by a serious epidemic among the cats.
We have a cat family. I am ashamed to confess that the two we intended to keep, were three instead – and all females so before we knew it we had 10 cats, each one so charming in it’s own individual way that we couldn’t dispose of it. So 10 cats we had it sounds like some of the terrible old women we read of who live all alone with 40 cats and murder people.
While we haven’t taken to murder yet, although, Sally was threatening it at noon as she read her weekly book review and considered one of the modern poets. Said it had to be done but all of this is a discussion.
The 10 cats all were very sick – except the one pure white Angora – several at a time for one solid month – extra expense for the vet, for medicine – for special food – endless newspaper to burn, etcetera, etcetera – but we pulled them through 100% – and still have 10 cats. There’s the white one, Sugarplum, the black one Caliope, her black son, Bruno, her black and white son with a patch over one eye, Pagliacci, her black with white paws daughter, Tippy Toe – her brother, the big ex-tomcat, Rosetti with beautiful tiger markings and Pixie, the little tiger cat and Linxie, the big longhaired calico and ______ the wooly tan Persian and Lilli who looks like exactly like Leslie Caron and who came to us out of the bushes last summer. Besides these 10, we have two visiting tomcats who come see our ladies. Decided it was a good place and appealed to my sympathies so that they have to have handouts once a day. It’s quite a place – enough to satisfy any cat lover – and discussed anyone else but keeps us busy. Perhaps if you can come and see us, we won’t have so many by that time for we…
[Note: Draft letter ends]