Dear Gladys,

Received your letter on the 11^th and was delighted with the news that you wrote to me. While reading it I could imagine myself around the supper table while ma was telling about "Willy" Browder. After he gets out into the world to shift for himself he will quit talking such nonsense: he will not be wondering how many cattle he is going to sell but how he will earn his next dollar. The plans of youth are but castles in the air. How I longed for the strawberries though! To think of them makes my mouth water. But as the blueberries will soon be ripe I shall make up in blueberries what I missed in strawberries. If it is feasible I would like to send some blueberry juice home to "pa". It is said it makes delicious wine.

You wrote such an interesting letter that I will try and return it with such information as might be of interest to you.

First, I will tell you about your father. He is not such a tall man as, I think, you imagine. He stood, when in his prime, about 5 feet 7 1/2 inches in height but now since he has become less spirited he is probably one half an inch shorter. He is thin, caused by his sickness, but is now gaining in weight. His hair is dark blonde and his mustache is brown. (It is like pa's in style and color so I guess you will have him shave it off when you see him). He has the bearing of a man who has experienced physical hardship to quite an extent.

He has the reputation of being a hard worker and an amiable partner but, I believe, a little too easy-going. I surmise that he will often put himself to inconvenience to oblige a friend. So far as I can see he does not patronize saloons greatly.

I do not think that you would be pleased with this country. There are very few girls here or young ladies (ahem) it is rough and the men are coarse although not bad. They are simply coarse and vulgar. Even the women are coarse.

It is warm, very warm, today. We have had frequent electric storms lately but they were of short duration. As I was standing on the river bank this afternoon down the river came a whirlwind. It picked up a boat and threw it on the beach and ripped up a tent as though they were nothing.

I have just finished supper. I had boiled salmon, butter-beans, sourdough bread (improving) and corn starch pudding flavored with cocoa, so you see I am not starving. In fact I have gained ten pounds since leaving Seattle. I now way 165#. I could not believe it at first but after trying different scales I had to. I intend to go to work next week "Longshoring" at one dollar per hour.

The salmon on the Yukon are the best I ever tasted. They are rich in fat. I would like to send out a barrel of salmon bellies and may do so if not too much trouble.

If you were to visit an Indian camp on the river I feel sure it would shock your refined, educated high school sense of smell, and ideas of cleanliness. Rotten fish and bones are strewn everywhere and mixed with them is the ever present evidence of modern civilization - the empty tin can. Half a dozen Indian kids can be seen running about playing with five times as many malamutes and meantime, you are trying your best to kill two or three of the hundred or more mosquitoes buzzing around you.

I do not think that your father will go outside this fall. I have not heard from him for 20 days. Hoping that you are enjoying yourself in good health I close wishing this letter Godspeed and reverently (amen!) bestowing upon your little head the blessing of

PS Send me some papers