From Lavinia. Mary's birthday is the 19th or thereabouts, and on previous years, we've seen the birthday letters.

Monday A.M.
My Dear Mary,
I was very glad to get your letter this morning. You surely had a busy week. Hope you will not get too tired flying around. Eleanor gave you a nice present. I wondered if any one would send you flowers. I wanted to send you some. I do not want you to get me any thing. Truly I would much rather wait until I get well. I do not

want a thing. Martha gave me a three months subscription of Life. Hoping to cheer me on the way. She has gone to Rockford this morning to stay Wednesday night, your father has gone to Belvidere for the day. Cousin Lannie is staying with Nellie at present. She leaves soon for California to stay with her brother as long as seems agreeable.

I had a nice letter from cousin Louise today. She expects to stay in Chicago this summer. Men are at work on the Shurtleff house, tearing it all to pieces. Are going to have a square roofed cement house out of it when they get through with nice porches +c. They make some noise Quite a letter for me. With my best love. From Mama.

(Charles rec'd your note.) [reversed as spillover from other side]

Does Lavinia still think she's too sick to write letters? I'm not really buying it. The "don't get me anything" sounds passive aggressive to me, I don't think I'd trust it. I don't have Lannie mapped, but aunt Nellie is Susan Nella Dunton, one of George's sisters, and lives in Belvidere.