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Congregational Parsonage Holden A. Putnam Minister

Ludington, Mich., March 4, 1913.

My dear Aunt Mary: It seems to me that I ought to write three or four letters to you one, for I feel that it is such an effort for you to write, and you have so many to remember.

  I am wondering how you are standing the winter, and if you succeed in keeping that dreadful Grippe at bay. We have all had colds, and Holden's was quite of the nature of Grippe, so he was only able to preach once a week ago Sunday, but his grit was equal to the Grippe so he did occupy the pulpit in the morning. He has a funeral at the church this afternoon, and had to drive five miles to the home this morning. Elisabeth sings in the Quartette, but I have not been very well for a few days so did not go over. Didn't I have that bronchial trouble when I was in Remsen? It has never left me, and tho' I do not think my lungs are at all affected, I think it takes my strength. The Dr. is giving me an extract of Cod Liver Oil now which he thinks will help me.
  We have not had a very hard winter, not below zero at all, and not much snow, tho' we have the most now that we have had at all. They have had a good deal harder winter at Charlevoix, so we are glad to be here. I think I have written you of Miss Clarke, who spent three winters with us at Charlevoix. She has been sadly bereaved this winter in losing her only sister and about the only near relative that she had. I feel so sorry for her. She visited us in the fall and writes me that she would like to come again after a little. I shall be glad to have her, for we may be some comfort to her. She wrote that we seemed the nearest to her of anyone now. She had two nieces but they are so much of society women that I fear they are not much company for her. 
  It is such a pleasure to me to be able to think just how you are situated in your pleasant comfortable home, with Good Mrs. Williams to care for her, and cousin Fannie coming down to see you once in a while. I hope Cousin Mary is getting stronger all the time. They are all "pure gold" aren't they?
  Thank you for sending me the Advance containing the review of Cousin Eddie's book. Didn't they mistake the meaning of "Quillings"? We enjoy the poems so much, and are so proud of our cousin. I enclose a bulletin with a verse on it which Elisabeth wrote.
  We had a great treat a couple of weeks ago in having Prof. Wm .Pickens of Talladega, Ala. give us three lectures. Holden made arrangements with him to make us two weeks tour of some of the churches in Michigan, and he was here first and lectured on Abraham Lincoln, then come back later and spent Sunday and spoke in the morning on the "Progress of the American Negro" and in the evening on "Fifty Years of Emancipation". He is a real orator, very witty and very forceful. Our church was crowded to the doors last time he spoke. We entertained him and found him very interesting and pleasant in the home.
  We all join in very much love,

Hattie 109 N. Harrison Street