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April 9th, 1923.
Darling Boy, Carroll:
We were all glad to receive your welcome
letter. You are indeed a busy boy. Don't write when you are too
tired and dead for sleep. Poor little Boy, you do work so hard. I am
sorry you have to be away from your Mammie.
I wish I could have enjoyed the Operas with
you, Thais and Il Trovotore are especially favorites and I have not seen
Mefistofole or William Tell.
Aside from the music and your Church work
there, there seem to be especial ties and I often wish you were back on the
Pacific Coast which is so full of your good friends, not to mention, so many of
your family.
While you are so rushed with the C. E.
programs, just send me a card once a week.
We were quite excited to get a letter from
Robert, which I will enclose. [not enclosure] Marguerite had said in
her last they were very blue, as he had had another reduction in salary and Mr.
Judd incapacitated for work because of neuritis. I do not know why, the
son, Harry, about 23, does not hold a position. Robert is always cheerful.
It is a large family for a boy of 20 to be the wage earner, but this letter
sounds encouraging.
Many thanks for the clipping - glad to have it.
The Legislators, except one, who went to Sitka with a Committee to visit the
Pioneers' Home. I guess those old Stampeders were glad to see each other.
I guess they all came for one rush or another, the Pioneers and the Legislators.
Hon. Dan Sutherland had Daddie and me to dinner
at the Gastineau, also the Theiles and Sen. and Mrs. Ayer of Nome. We all
went to the Annual Dinner of the Presbyterian Church. It was such a good
one and served in the main room of the little church. Yellow candles and
daffodils made it look so sweet. They served about two hundred I should
say. Annual election of officers.
Mr. Summers, Chief of the Weather Bureau, is a
prominent member. He is Wayne's father. Mr. Merritt is a Methodist.
He is with the Forest Bureau. These fine men are newly elected Members of
School Board. "Izzy" Goldstein, broth of a prominent Merchant and fur
trader is the new mayor.
We all went to the Episcopal Church Easter.
There were very beautiful music. Mrs. Jenne, was the principal soloist.
She has a very fine voice. Husband is a dentist and she has three small
children. Mrs. Naud also has a lovely voice and has two tiny children.
Mildred was with the Contraltos. Mr. Foster, the Member from Cordova, was
in the Choir, as was also Mr. Pulley, Member from this dist.
William Paul sometimes sings with them.
He has a fine tenor and his wife a lovely contralto. She is white, he is
part native. They are Pres. Also have three children - one, Shirley
Anne's age. This man is very smart and a leader of the natives. A
bill was introduced to prevent any one who could not read or write to vote.
Paul and the Missionaries made strong pleas on the floor to defeat the bill.
It rouses a very strong feeling, from the lively discussion. There is much
to be said on both sides, for one never knows what is back of such movements and
people speak from all sorts of motives, business, political, sentiment.
Women and school children took part in it. The educators think they ought
to know how to read. The Missionaries think the good ones should vote
whether they can read or not. Some think Paul is a good leader, some think
he is crafty, and so it goes.
A great deal of my time has been taken up with
en coming to make estimates on cleaning, painting, upholstering, measuring
curtains, etc. etc. pouring over catalogues and interviewing the Committee of
One appointed to discover the needs of the Mansion. It is proposed to
introduce a Bill to remedy defects in the equipment. I do not know if
anything will come of it. Mrs. Smith and I made estimates and went round
to all the stores as the merchants offered to give bed rock prices or send for
things for the same. We certainly do appreciate good Mr. Keyes' wonderful
interest and his generous attitude all the more remarkable because he comes from
a coal mine in the Interior. He thinks the Governor's House should be
decently equipped to entertain and a fund to clean and freshen and to replace.
He thinks it awful the Governor has such a small salary and no entertainment
fund and meager traveling expenses.
I believe I told you of a Bill introduced to
"Strip the Governor of all ter. power," as the Empire put it. It proposes
putting all ter. power in a Board of Control, consisting of a Comptroller, the
Atty Gen. and the Treas. making the last two officials elective.
Everything was to be referred to the Atty Gen. This would cut of Daddie's
Clerks and part of his Secretary's salary. It would take away Karl's ter.
salary (2000) and all the clerks in the Ter. Secretary's office, that is John
and Miss McLaughlin. He would be still be Surv. Gen. a Fed Office.
It was introduced by an illiterate Senator, but the Author is supposed to be the
Atty Gen, a learned ambitious man. At first, it was considered a huge
joke, but later, folks realized it might pass, saddling the ter. with another
official and raise the salary of the other two officials. Recently, an
amendment was offered to put the Governor on the Board and not give the power to
the Atty Gen. Mentioned, and knock off the one thousand increase of salary,
giving the Comp. Treas. and Atty Gen 5000 a year.
Most sensible people hope it will not pass.
Major Cotwals sent 3 doz lovely yellow tulips
for Easter before he went to Anchorage to join Co. Steese and Co. Meares.
Young Senator Brown of Nome sent a beautiful pot of lilies and Mary and Karl
sent lovely tulips, pink as near the color of their wedding flowers as they
could get.
The first of the week we went down to the
Legislature to hear the Literacy Bill discussion and one night to hear the
Alaska Steamship Freight rates discussed by the Atty General, Judge Rustgard,
and Mr. Knickerbocker, the representative of the Co. The Atty Gen. made
charges in his report and Mr. K. came up to reply to them. They are still
at it.
Our bad weather gave way to lovely sunshine and
Mildred and I started to return over a hundred calls. We took little
Shirley Anne one P.M. We were out three afternoons. Thursday,
Mildred was taken quite sick with the prevailing epidemic. She has been
running considerable temperature, has sore throat and generally miserable.
I have been busy as can be looking after her and the Baby. My letter would
have started a few days earlier but for these extras.
The Baby is good as can be, but the best of
babies require anxious and constant looking after, with their meals, naps,
baths, clothes to laundry. Hilma has been good to lend a helping hand and
John gives her night ten o'clock bottle and the six o'clock morning one, then I
take charge. Mildred has been such a wonderful, careful Mother and I do
hope the little thing will keep well.
She is now seven months old and weighs 17 and a
half pounds. She has caught up with her small friend, Mary Stewart who has
always been two or three pounds ahead and is three weeks older, so Mildred is
very proud. She is heart broken to not be able to take care of her.
I think she will be well in a few days. Baby S. A. is now taking her four
hours nap on the back porch.
Karl is home with a touch of this grip.
John thinks he is taking it. He can blame his indiscretion of wearing
Sunday a very light suit, changing from his heaviest one. He and Freddie
Johnston (Rep from Fairbanks) walked quite a distance and carried back Karl's
fine scales that Col. Steese presented them, to weigh the Baby. They
thought theirs might not be accurate.
Tuesday A.M. John has simply reveled in
this Legislature and I tease him and Daddie a lot. Several exciting bills
and Memorials to Congress have been introduced that may not come to any thing.
Mr. Sutherland is still in the Territory
A nurse came in to give Mildred an alcohol rub
last night and the Dr. left her a sleeping pill (he is Homoeopathist) if she
could not sleep. She has been so wakeful. I imagine her mind is full
of the Baby. Daddie is in with her now. He just idolizes her and I
think she likes him best. Baby wrote of a jolly Figi House Party, a "glorious
Father's Dinner," in which she missed Daddie so much. 26 Fathers from
Oregon and Wash. were there. Then she had an awful toothache and was going
to Dr. Carney's brother. Had staid [sic] all night at Marjorie Turner's.
She goes to Robert's frequently. - weekends-
Now, Sweetheart, must return to my nursing
duties. Lots of love. When you miss us too much, come on out west.
I do hope you can come this summer.
Your own loving Mammie.
Thanks for Paul's address. The Elks sent
Sister a beautiful pot of Crimson Rambler and Mrs. Case some roses. Mrs.
Stewart some delicacies to eat. She has only taken liquids.
Lovingly -
Mammie
Envelope: from - Mrs. Scott Bone,
Governor's House, Juneau, Alaska; postmarked - [city rubbed out], Alaska Apr 10,
4PM; to - Mr. Carroll A. Bone, Traffic Dept, C. M. & St. P. Ry., 42 Broadway,
New York City
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