February 25th
Dear Helen,
I received your kind letter Monday morning but have not had one moment that I could reply in.
As you surmised I was quite sick last week, but in spite of it, I had two cases to try out, and both together took up from Tuesday till Friday afternoon. You would have laughed - unless your sympathetic nature got the best of you - to see me talking to witnesses in my office, while I would be taking some medicine, and then figuring out when the next chill was due. I imagine that my unusually good "tummy' revolted at something I treated it with and then a sort of cold crept on and got a strangle hold.
In addition to all of that, I could hardly spend one night all last week at home, because of the number of things that are constantly bobbing up.
Well, when Washington's birthday stepped into town, I decided to stay at home and fix up. I decided in other words to spend a quite little evening in a soliloquy with a particular friend of mine whose initials are - as Pauline refers to him - J.G.S. Do you know him? We had one grand time. We agreed perfectly. He had seen all the plays and operas I had, and he knew all of my friends.
But this comedy aside, Sunday, it seemed everybody I ever knew had guests. Why even Saltman had a house full. And of course, wie heisst*, I was invited to help entertain in five different homes on one evening. Can you beat it? Sometimes I haven't even one call on hand. In the morning I was rooted out of bed and taken for a long country walk with a fellow I like to walk with when I feel good, but he had a walking bug on and he being familiar enough paraded into my private rooms and hustled me out of the hay. While gone, my sister-in law told me an auto party called by but I was gone. Thank the little Roman gods I can't swear perhaps I would have. In the afternoon I enjoyed a session with some Elbert Hubbard friends and then in the evening you should have seen me hustle. From 7:30 to 12 I made four calls and had to cut one.
Do you remember my pet theory of a table of work? Recall how I divide hours for work, study and play? That's what I did. I divided the time into five parts, knew just where I'd be each minute, and in several places, killed a little too much time, so I cut the last out all together. But if I had not planned perhaps I would not even gone that far.
About the time I retired, my brother came in from a lecture in Brooklyn, and of course, we had to talk it all over.
So that when yesterday morning when I awoke, lo and behold, I was feeling a la Jonah** again. But I did not mind that so much because there was lots of work that occupied my mind till about 3 P.M. I had planned to answer your letter. Can you imagine my surprise when at that hour the door opens and in walks an old friend of mine from Toronto. The man that I visit when I'm there, whose sons treat me like a brother and whose home welcomes me royally. By now you are waiting for me to say something about his daughter. All right I will. She is extremely pretty, had Titian hair, and a wonderful girl. Is that enough? No! Well then, here's some more. She was eleven or twelve years old when I was there last August. I can just hear you roaring out loud.
So in he came. He was in New York on business, and as he says, he couldn't go back without calling on his dear "J.G.S." as he calls me. I very naturally spent the rest of the day with him and gave him the best there was here. That, incidentally, spiked my chances for letter writing.
So today I decided to reply before any new delays arose.
I now fear I have written too much, but you'll forgive me, I hope.
We have a meeting of an important lodge tonight and I've got to go; I'm Secretary.
Elbert Hubbard's lecture must have had its effect. Your letter style shows his influence. The short, epigrammatic, and long climax sentences abound in great numbers in your letter. It begins "I hope you are not ill". Of course you might have "hoped you are well", but Hubbard always reverses things to make the contrast sharper, and perhaps you have too.
I will not waste any more of your time. I am feeling fairly well again, and hope to be in New York Saturday.
How are your studies?
Sincerely,
Joseph G. Shapiro
*Called by name - as best as I can translate, if you know a better translation please let me know.
**As in under water.
In the next couple of weeks I will finish up about Meyer and start to explore some of the photographs of Helen and Joe and their families.
Joe's next letter is on St. Patrick's Day 1913.
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