Greenville Falls, N.Y.
October 6, 1917.

Deer godchild,

I am sending you this letter in anser to yours quick, becaus I think
if you are not careful that Teddy will poison you with his eats.
The gum was bad enuf and I was jokin when I sed what I did about the
shoestring, but cross my heart and hope to dye, that feedin you cold
cream is the wust I ever herd, and what makes me feel so bad is there
is no one to warn you and he is stringin you on. Gee whiz, it makes
me sick to think of it! I have not been able to eat fer two days,
yesterday we had pancakes fer brekfast and I cood not eat enny and
mother sed, I wonder what ales James? And dad sed, In the spring a
yung mans fancy, and mother sed quick, It is not spring, Prendy, it is
fall, and I think it is his stummick that is turned and dad sed, No it
is his heart I have found his poitry, and mother sed, Well you may be
rite but I shall give him a dose of caster oil, You no the oil of the
caster, just like you had the oil of the codfish only this tests like
sam scratch see? Well I had to swaller some and it was feerce and fer
too cents I wood twist that teller Teddy's nose and stick my finger in
his eye. Gee whiz, and he wares white wings dose he, and jumps up
in the air. Some angel beleeve me, say mebbe he is a angel that has
fallen from the sky? or a acrobat from Barnums? only I guess if he
comes from Barnums he must be a freak al-rite. Ennyway until this yere
ends you are my godchild and I am your godfather, and I forbid you to
tuch enny more of that Teddys eats, understand? If you are hungry you
just tell me, and I will send you the proper food; and it will not be
gum, or cold-cream or candels ether, I can tell you. Why even Mr. le
Cure wood no enuf not to give you enny of those things. That Teddy is