Bridgewater,
Brighton, Colo.

March 18th, 1918

Dearest Arduly:

I hope that you have no prejudice against a typewritten letter. Garrat had to get one in self defence [sic] he had so much writing to do and I find myself using it as much as he!

I was awfully sorry to see in one of Julia's Letters that you had been feeling under the weather for a couple of weeks. Its too bad I do hope that by now you are all right. Such a long, severe winter as you have had this year in the East takes a great deal of vitality to stand I think. We have really had no winter at all this year except a few cold days thrown in here and there and now we are planting our Spring grain and our winter wheat is way up and looks fine. I think this is going to be a great year for the farmers, which will be fortunate for the country as well as for ourselves; we had a "million dollar snow" about a fortnight ago, which did wonders to all the crops.

I don't know whether Sylvia wrote you that the doctor found the root of Garrat's trouble in his teeth. After an xray [sic] examination he was found to have an imbedded tooth, it was under the jaw bone [sic] and just had to be dug out. It was really an operation and left him with a dreadfully sore jaw but now that the soreness has left it he is feeling simply fine. The dentist found a deep groove along the side of the tooth where it had rested against the nerve all these years. He said that there was reason right there for anything from neuralgia to insanity!

Doctors lay everything to teeth nowadays. Mrs. Van Wagenen has been at Castile for the past three weeks having out eight teeth! She had had headaches and various unpleasant feelings accompanied by the swelling of several finger joints for some time and the doctor found abcesses [sic] at the roots of some of her teeth which he felt sure were causing the trouble.

Our little Mary Allerton is such a darling. She is nearly seven months old now and tomorrow is to blossom out in short clothes! She is the fattest little thing and laughs all the time. Her eyes are grey [sic] and her hair about B's color and she has most lovely color in her cheeks all the time.

I have had such comfort in the house all winter with my nice English couple but as always seems to happen something unforseen [sic] had to occur to break the charm. The man was taken very ill and they had to leave me to go into town where his doctor could look after him. I waited a week in the hopes of getting them back but the doctor held out very little hopes of his recovery so then I advertised and was lucky enough to get another couple immediately but you will laugh to hear what I have. Certainly servants out here are very different from what we get in the East. I had a cook last winter that brought her rifle with her and always spent her free time out in the fields shooting rabbits and pheasants and a friend in town said to me one day that she never saw me because having no car she was unable to come out but that her cook had a Hudson roadster in the barn and that she thought she would have to invite her to take her out some day! Well to get back to my couple. He is a Texan rancher never off it till a year ago when he came up to Denver where he has been one the barbers in one of the biggest hotels! She was a doctors office assistant for two years then became engaged to this man and took a year's course in domestic science before marrying. They both wish to work for a year or two until they lay by a little and then they are going to take out a homestead. He is a typical breezy Westerner not at all objectionable as they are never fresh only friendly. She is a very smart, efficient worker and excellent cook and Garrat having had his hair cut at home today thinks the arrangement a fine one.

Isn't it distressing about Harry? And what do you suppose he can do with his future? It is so evident that an outdoor life with regular hours for food and sleep is what he has to have and that is the one thing that he does not seem to care for. Joe and A. are certainly up against it I think. This attack has not been anything like as severe as the one that he had last winter so they feel, I think, that he is outgrowing the trouble. Adeline and the children expect to spend the summer on the Douglas's ranch and in the fall A. says she will board Daisy at Wolcott school and Johnny somewhere else while Joe and Del live at the club and she will take Nancy on to New York where she is to study music and live with her for a couple of months till she sees how she (Nancy) gets along.

I haven't told you of the big new responsibilities which Garrat has taken on. There is a large tract of 1800 acres which joins our section on the east and runs east and north which is owned by the Omaha National bank. It has six or eight tenants living on it in fact it is all farmed by someone. The bank bought it for the purpose of selling it and have put thousands into the water system having two enormous storage resevoirs [sic] covering over sixty acres. They have never sold an acre because the man who was managing it was such a crook that he gave the land a bad name. Garrat has had his eye on the place ever since we came out here because of those resevoirs which are so needed by every one on the Signal Ditch for storing spring water. Not long ago the Vice President of the O.N.B. came out and after talking not only to the tenants but to all the adjoining farmers kicked out his manager and asked Garrat if he would take over the management of the property. G. decided to do it for this year with the understanding that he could use the resevoirs for Signal Ditch water as well as for their own. It will be of great benefit not only to us but to all our neighbors. It means much added brain work for G. but of course the compensation is large, and in the case of his selling the property for them, next year as he fully expects to be able to do, will be larger still. He has not so much to do on our own place this year for he has rented nearly half the section to three diferent [sic] men who between them have six sons, all of whom are to work for us during harvesting so that our labor problem is solved.

I am sure that all these farm details must bore you, that is one disadvantage to living on a farm that you become so immersed in farm problems that you can think of little else.

The children have done so well this winter in their lessons that I am more glad than ever that I decided to give up a governess and have two servants in the house.

The birds have been so lovely the last few days sitting on all the fences singing. Meadow larks, Red-winged Black birds, Yellow-headed ones and lark Buntings being the most common ones. Of course the Mag- pies are as common as chickens but they only squawk. I never see them without thinking how you would enjoy them.

We shall ship the five hundred head of cattle Wednesday which we have had all winter and we shall be glad to get rid of them for they take much of the men's time which can be ill spared now when there is so much spring work to be done. We had bulls and heifers this year and the little bossies have been arriving every day lately much to the children's delight.

I think before you are completely used up that I had better stop. I do hope this finds you very much better. Please don't forget that you are coming out to see us sometime. Everyone is busy at home these days I know but I hope better days are coming soon.

Isn't the Daylight-Saving bill interesting?

Much love from us all.

Ever Affectionately,

Elizabeth

Arduly: Julia Delano (1848-?) Julia: [unknown] Sylvia: Sylvia Delano Hitch (1868-1966) Garrat: Garrat Van Wagenen Sr. (1885-1938) G. same as above Mrs. Van Wagenen: Kate (Holland) Van Wagenen (1913-1998) Mary Allerton: Mary "May" (Van Wagenen) Lewton B: Garrat Van Wagenen Jr. (1909-1990) Harry: Henry Forster Hitch, son of Jos. & Adeline (1898-?) Joe(1): Joseph Delano Hitch Sr. (1872-1925) A.: Adeline Van Nostrand Dorr (no dates) Adeline: same as above Joe(2): Joseph Delano Hitch Jr. (1904-1987) Del: Joseph Delano Hitch Jr. (1904-1987) Nancy: Nancy Higginson Hitch (1901-?)

Castile: (?) Douglas's Ranch: Friends of the Hitch's in Colorado The Wolcott school: Miss Wolcott School, 14th Ave. & Marion, Denver, CO the club: Denver Country Club Signal Ditch: Irrigation ditch surrounding Brighton, CO