Edwin and Susan meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 11th and 12th, in both Danvers and Lynn. We also learn they were in Boston as they travelled in different directions when they parted from there.
Lynn, Sept. 13th, '66 Thursday eve.
My dear Friend.
Perhaps wisdom would suggest retiring instead of writing; but I will only say a little at this time. You left us but a few hours since & yet it is sufficient time to place many miles between us. As we watched the train leaving your station, at the same time with ours, & saw you moving off in one direction & we in another, it seemed that it would have been much pleasanter had you kept your seat in our car & gone with same way with us. I rode on with Mary till we reached Lynn, where I bade her good night & she went on her way to Danvers.
On reaching Mrs. Hills' I found Miss Lewis & Miss Hilliker, friends from Gravesend School. Miss Lewis you remember was with me there & we saw her in the morning, which she says made her homesick. It was pleasant to meet them & reminded me of pleasant hours gone by: how many such pleasant times we may treasure up through our lives.
Friday evening.
I have left the company of the sitting room & once more the evening finds me alone in my room & having finished nearly all of my compositions will resume my letter lest I should be prevented from fulfilling my promise of mailing a letter to you in the morning.
I hope you had a nice ride home & were fortunate enough to find someone to take you there, for I think you were too tired to walk that distance. I felt very sorry that we caused you to lose the other train.
Please, once more accept my thanks for the contents of the box, all proofs of your kindness & thoughtfulness. I hope to find the flowers fresh & bright on reaching home tomorrow; I have wished I had them here a number of times, for I do love to have their company. We have had rain this afternoon & it was accompanied by thunder & lightning this evening. I think we had the fairest day of the week for your visit to Danvers. I did not take any cold, but am relieved of some that I did have, by my evening rid e. I never should have thought of recommending such a remedy. Do you think it would be a universal cure for coughs & colds?
I can hardly realize that tomorrow will be Saturday; & that two weeks of this term have passed already. I commenced this term with a desire to do more for the moral & spiritual good of those whom I meet in the school-room every day; but I feel as though I had accomplished almost nothing. I do not know as you ever have any feelings of discouragement, perhaps you always see the brighter side. I do not mean that I am inclined to despond, but I become so dissatisfied with myself & what I accomplish.
I shall look for your promised letter on Monday, and trust this will reach you tomorrow.
I think I must say good night, for I have quite a headache & will say the rest when I write again. Wishing you a pleasant Sabbath & God's blessing with you,
I am, as ever, very aff. Yrs
Susan
The following short note is written on a scrap of birch bark. It was difficult to read!
In school. Lynn 12 o'clock
Dear Friend
Fannie Patch, one of my favorite Caesar scholars has just brought me this, to write on she says. So while I am waiting for a change of classes I thought I would try birch bark, by writing to you. I presume you are just taking your hour of recreation, but mine will come an hour later. Mr. Johnson (not Andy) one of the committee has been in school & informs us that the matter of raising the salaries of the assistants in the High School has been referred to a committee of three, consisting of the Mayor, Dr. Breen & himself, and he proposes putting them at $650. But I hardly think they will go higher than $600.
But, I have come to the conclusion that I prefer paper to this material & will not write more now.
In one sense, it seems strange she would be so candid about her personal income, but I assume it is one more hint at her desire to continuing to teach.