9 Glebe Street
Nottingham
England Tuesday
March 19th 9.5 1901
And now dear Ted it is about time I finished up. I know youíll think this budget is worse than a ìPenny ëorrible but Iíll write nice & jollier next time.
We have got a jolly house with a nice garden where we can make as much noise as we like & where we can bump one another down the stairs if we like & nobody to say ìOh thatís very naughtyî. I think we had better call it the ìDovecoteî donít you?
I think Iíll just finish up with a little tale a gentleman told me the other night, this is it. ìOne day a man called on his doctor to have his brains cleaned out, they had got a little muddled. (And here I must explain to you dear Ted, that is in the days before they did things. ëWhile you waitî So he left them with the doctor and went away ìbrainlessî)
The doctor cleaned them & put them on a shelf ready for when the man called for them but month after month went by and he never came. One day however the doctor met him in the street. I say old chappie said the doctor. ìWhy donít you call for your brainsî? Oh! Said the chappie ìIíve got a job on the Nottingham Corporation, I donít require brains>ì !!!!!!!!!!
And now I must begin to stop-fancy that entire long, long journey you had to go with only a shabby 1 pound. Wish that I had been there-how I wish you had some of our nice food. Mother said the other day ìI wish your cousin Ted had some of thisî. You will be wondering why I am sending the long envelope it is so that if you should have a chance of getting me any leaves you can send them in it without them being crushed-but if you cannot get them donít trouble.
Mother and father & all of them wish me to give you their kind love. I took mother to the Albert Hall on Saturday afternoon to see the Living Pictures on the Boer War. She enjoyed it but it made us think of you. Tears came into our eyes when we saw some of the poor fellows carried on stretchers to the train, and I said ìMam-That might be our poor Tedî
Many thanks for that Proclamation you kindly sent me. I shall keep it for always; same as the box of chocolates you bought me. Iíve actually got 6 left & the Cock-a-doodleís feather.
Dad thinks the war will soon be over. Be careful dear Ted (for your motherís sake) of course I always have to add that little bit or you might think I was spooney donët-cher-know. God bye & God bless you. Am so glad you are in fairly good health. Take care of yourself ever so much & write to me as soon as you can thereís a ìdeah bhoyî with lots of love from every body & especially from me
I remain your loving cousin
Hattie
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