Well, Daddy, Master Jervie\'s here. And such a nice time as
we\'re having! At least I am, and I think he is, too--he has been
here ten days and he doesn\'t show any signs of going. The way
Mrs. Semple pampers that man is scandalous. If she indulged him
as much when he was a baby, I don\'t know how he ever turned out so well.

He and I eat at a little table set on the side porch, or sometimes
under the trees, or--when it rains or is cold--in the best parlour.
He just picks out the spot he wants to eat in and Carrie trots
after him with the table. Then if it has been an awful nuisance,
and she has had to carry the dishes very far, she finds a dollar
under the sugar bowl.

He is an awfully companionable sort of man, though you would never
believe it to see him casually; he looks at first glance like a
true Pendleton, but he isn\'t in the least. He is just as simple
and unaffected and sweet as he can be--that seems a funny way
to describe a man, but it\'s true. He\'s extremely nice with the
farmers around here; he meets them in a sort of man-to-man fashion
that disarms them immediately. They were very suspicious at first.
They didn\'t care for his clothes! And I will say that his clothes
are rather amazing. He wears knickerbockers and pleated jackets
and white flannels and riding clothes with puffed trousers.
Whenever he comes down in anything new, Mrs. Semple, beaming with pride,
walks around and views him from every angle, and urges him to be careful
where he sits down; she is so afraid he will pick up some dust.
It bores him dreadfully. He\'s always saying to her:

`Run along, Lizzie, and tend to your work. You can\'t boss me
any longer. I\'ve grown up.\'

It\'s awfully funny to think of that great big, long-legged man (he\'s
nearly as long-legged as you, Daddy) ever sitting in Mrs. Semple\'s lap
and having his face washed. Particularly funny when you see her lap!
She has two laps now, and three chins. But he says that once she
was thin and wiry and spry and could run faster than he.

Such a lot of adventures we\'re having! We\'ve explored the country
for miles, and I\'ve learned to fish with funny little flies made
of feathers. Also to shoot with a rifle and a revolver. Also to
ride horseback--there\'s an astonishing amount of life in old Grove.
We fed him on oats for three days, and he shied at a calf and almost
ran away with me.

Wednesday

We climbed Sky Hill Monday afternoon. That\'s a mountain near here;
not an awfully high mountain, perhaps--no snow on the summit--but at
least you are pretty breathless when you reach the top. The lower slopes
are covered with woods, but the top is just piled rocks and open moor.
We stayed up for the sunset and built a fire and cooked our supper.
Master Jervie did the cooking; he said he knew how better than me
and he did, too, because he\'s used to camping. Then we came down
by moonlight, and, when we reached the wood trail where it was dark,
by the light of an electric bulb that he had in his pocket.
It was such fun! He laughed and joked all the way and talked
about interesting things. He\'s read all the books I\'ve ever read,
and a lot of others besides. It\'s astonishing how many different
things he knows.

We went for a long tramp this morning and got caught in a storm.
Our clothes were drenched before we reached home but our spirits not
even damp. You should have seen Mrs. Semple\'s face when we dripped
into her kitchen.

`Oh, Master Jervie--Miss Judy! You are soaked through. Dear! Dear!
What shall I do? That nice new coat is perfectly ruined.\'

She was awfully funny; you would have thought that we were ten
years old, and she a distracted mother. I was afraid for a while
that we weren\'t going to get any jam for tea.



Saturday

I started this letter ages ago, but I haven\'t had a second to finish it.

Isn\'t this a nice thought from S............