RK-894

[printed letterhead] No. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. [written] This evening [printed] 18 [written] 63

Jem, Attorney At Law.

Dear Sir; As I think my brother Bob is decidedly too much taken up by oology and ornithology and other ogies I have allowed him the honor of being my amenuensis for this occasion.

Jem how are you? Isnt Cora mighty good looking. Which is the best to kiss, - she or my nephew - Bob says he can answer that question - You just feel of the little fellows cheeks next time you go out and see how nice soft and sweet they are! Do you take much care of him? Do you. wouldnt you like some egg cider - - He likes egg cider - oh thunder - well but I want to tell you - darn! thats mean I dont want you to write all that - well go ahead and be darned to you then

Have you seen e'er a miss Mimchel[?] lately - I guess Ill tell him about the skeletons down stairs, that would tickle him - Say isnt them a lot of mummies? - what are you writing now.

Oh Thunder - Darn I didnt tell you to write that - Blast it stop. Judas Priest Jem there is three or four mummies down in the museum Hall and Bob is worsen ever you was about 'em - He gets up behind 'em and keeps a makin eyes, and squa-aaks and groans and I've got to be real scarey. - Id tell you about how horrid they look but per haps you couldnt sleep well nights.

How is caroline - Have you seen any thing of her lately -

What is the Chicago time with her now? You know she - Did you

[printed] No. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., 18

[written] ever hear that story - No no no Thunder and guns Bob dont write all that - Ill make it a good deal more if you -

No you shant Toke - I say Jem I keep the chewing tobacco and when Stimpson and Bob want a chew they come to me and say toke! toke! Then if they havent had too much already and have behaved well I let em have some - They say that because the Eskimos whom they both saw say "towak" for tobacco - They are the dardenst set of fellows here I ever say - they are Doctors and Professors and all that, and they talk about their books and all that just as if

as if they was somebody and after all they are just like a parcel of boys - Why to night we all ran naces and hopped and jumped in the big museum hall because it was too rainy to go out for a walk - Darned if I ever did see such men. - I suppose Stimpson and some of 'em are big naturalists but they act mighty like small boys.

we get up here at 5 o clock in the moring and get thro breakfast and ready for work at 9 O. C. And we work steadily till 5. o clock - hard - at 5 o clock we go down and have a very poor dinner, And then we go up stairs again and work - and work steady and hard till 12 oclock steady and hard and never stop scarcely at all. Got that? Well and then If we have any letters to write we have to do that after 12 oclock. Then there is a lot of dingy lanterns

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[printed] No. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., 18

[written] lanterns and we light one of those and go down into the museum hall which is about 600 feet long - 10 feet wide and 25 feet high and is filled on all sides with skeletons of birds and animals of all kinds and here and there will be a skeleton of a man or a mummy or a case of skulls stuck up - and we go clear to end of that hall which is perfectly dark - and our lantern just throws out streaks of light - just glimmer out - And your light [letter crossed out] will fall on the skeleton of a man - a gleam of light will happen to fall on him - and you cant imagine how horribl they look - And then you go up a pair of dingy ricky stairs and when you get up to the top there's a little door that turns to the right when we go into our room - And just