September 30, 1929. Miss Jean Ironside, Madison Square Hotel, 37 Madison Ave., New York City. Dear Kid: Glad to know you are back in the U.S.A. and, from the tone of your letter, you are comfortably located and the same girl that struck out to see things on the other side of the big water. I’m glad you had such a nice trip and do not envy you in any sense of the word as I wouldn’t take it on a bet. “When ignorance is bliss,” - - you know the rest. The thought of seasickness is greater than the idea of learn- ing something. I’m too old to begin that now. I’m so sorry about the mixup over the club dues. I never thought of ‘em from the time I left here in June until your letter came with the slips and I’ve attended to it this morning. I don’t know why the bills were not forwarded with my other mail but “nuff sed.” You probably do not know that we had another very serious fire in the forest and it mutilated so much of our beautiful woods around Lake McDonald. Again we fought like mad to keep that little stretch along the lake shore which is still beautiful. About a hundred acres of green timber sets on a black , charred mountain side. The lovely big woods that Charlie always enjoyed so much is gone and the mountain we climbed for huckleberries is also burned. About half of the buildings in Apgar were taken and the other half most of the timber is killed so that the buildings stand out like snagly teeth. This is the third dreadful fire I’ve experienced up there and it’s almost enough. I came home with a pretty shaky bunch of nerves but am getting back to earth. Every- thing is beautiful here. If you have seen the Risley’s, you know about their visit and if you have not seen them, you will so I’ll not tell you about them. Daddy is just exactly the same as when you saw him last except thinner; one day he’s happy, the next day he’s down in the basement and quite sure he is going to starve to death. He keeps quite busy but not doing the thing he wants -1- -2- 2- to or thinks he wants to. If he does sell this place, I feel he is going to be like a ship without a rudder and I’d hate to see him do it and really don’t think he would sell it if he got the chance. It’s dreadfully sad to see a person as old as he is who hasn’t one spark of contentment in his soul. He wants to drift and he doesn’t know where . I don’t need to say these things because I think you, having lived at the house as long as you did, realize his natural tendencies towards unrest. Jack is just fine and I’ve sent him to the Catalina Island School for Boys. He was the happiest little tad you ever saw when he started off in company with young Jim Rogers. The one letter I’ve had from him says that he is sure he is going to be very happy there. Whether he’ll learn anything or not is to be seen later but the school has only thirty-two boys in it, all be- tween the ages of twelve and fourteen and they should show wonderful progress because they can have so much personal attention My home is perfectly beautiful here; at least, I think so. Everything is grown and it’s a regular jungle. The fig trees have produced gallons of figs. Every time I pick one, I think how fine a thing it would have been if Ella had bought her fig acreage and was selling figs at 12 1/2c a lb. But you’ve gotten something that the drought can’t kill nor the bugs worry in this trip of yours. Nobody can take it from you and I think it’s wonderful you know what you want to do and you have got that bulldogged staying quality that is most admirable. The book of letters, - “Good Medicine”- should be out any day now. I can hardly wait to see it. I am not planning on going anywhere this winter. I’ve work that I want to do here and I’m sick and tired of bumming around so I don’t suppose I’ll see you until you come home because you say that California is going to be your home after you are through seeing things. The Risleys have bought a new home and their address is 36 Lakeview Ave., Scarsdale, N.Y. Neither of the folks are well. I’d be glad to hear from you and what you are doing, as always. NCR: ED [Transcribed by Lauren B. Gerfen, 2012-11-02]