Oops, it's been a while since I updated here. But a while passed since the flurry of letters in late 1913, and the first of our 1914 letters seems to be in March, the day before Mary's birthday. Mary will be 22 years old.

March 17, 1914
My dear Mary,
Tomorrow is your birth-day and I wish you were here to celebrate. You and I have not often been separated on our birth-days.

We sent you some things yesterday which I hope will be satisfactory altho they are not all that could be desired.

When you come home I will give you a small sum of money to add to your, now reduced, bank account. It will take some time at this rate for your account to get as large as formerly.

I received your letter yesterday.

I hope your gown will come out all right. If not it can be fixed here at home. It certainly looks as if the party is going to be very fine. I hope you will enjoy it and make no hard feelings by the transaction.

I am very anxious about your health. I wish you would "cut-out"-all dissippation this week you will have a hard time next week end and need all the resserve force for that. I wish I could be there to pack for you + help you off.

My reading of this is that Lavinia is concerned that if Mary does not buckle down to course work this week, then she will be overworked next week. I'm not sure I otherwise understand why she would consider dissipation hazardous.

Will you get any breakfast in the morning before you leave there? If not I'll send up something for you. Remember what I say + do not stay up nights this week. You cant do justice to your school work unless you have rest and sleep, and you haven't much reserve force.

It would be a sad joke if you should over sleep the morning of the wedding.

When you get home you can eat and go right to bed and sleep until four or five o'clock, which will help some.

I have not been equal to going to Chicago and cannot go to the wedding without a dress, so I am afraid I'll not get there. I do want to see Joyce married. She will make a lovely bride.

Our previous census diving suggests that this is Joyce Langlois marrying Olin Wakeman. And I think we have our first firm proof concerning Lavinia being shallow and vain.

I hear through aunt Nettie that your neighbor Miss Barnham is going to invite you over to dinner some day.

Be thankful you have had the measles + Martha too. The town is full of them.

I hear that Lowell Smiths boy is very sick with them.

I called on Rose who is at her mother's, last week, she looks very lovely + has two nice children. You remember the little boy ran a safety pin in his eye. The eye is all right. Take time to write a letter some day. Be happy + good + take care of your health. I hope you will have a very nice birthday and a great many of them + do a lot of good in the world. My best love to you your Mama.

The only other mention of "aunt Nettie" that I have comes in 1917 and refers to her as "aunt Nettie Wyman" but I don't have a fix on her.