Dear Charles:-
I'm in a quandry. The enclosed letter will explain it without any comment from me. The letter came this morning and I had about made up my mind to disappoint Turner, yourself and myself about the trip, partly because nothing had been heard from Ariel and I didn't like to spoil a $100 wheel to make the trip, when the Ariel agent came up to the house with a telegram saying that "Bacbock and Turner's will be sent Wednesday." Now I don't know what to do. Evidently Kenaga, being a friend of mine, and knowing that I am about to make the trip, wished to let me know that my chances are good of getting from $50.00 to $100.00 during the summer by doing duty as a temporary inspector and at the same time improve my chances for a permanent job. I may yet disappoint Turner, at least I shall tell him just how the matter is. On the wheel I shall lose nothing, for my agreement is to pay the agent's price, in case through any fault of my own, "I did not make the trip as propsed," and the agent here, Mr. Thedinga, would simply take the wheel.
I want to go, and still if I do I shall probably find myself more slow once sitting on the shady side of a sage brush, pulling cactus thorns out of my tires and wishing I was in Tacoma at some warehouse, my feet dangling from a dry goods box, checking off bales of silk, tea and firecrackers at $3.00 per day; or possibly wading the Raging River looking for trout.
Today I went to a professional ballgame, ate peanuts with Van Tuyle, Senior, came home and ate beefsteak and onions. Next I went and vomited up everything and now I am trying to determine whether it was the onions, peanuts, or Seattle's rocky playing that caused it.
Bell made his annual call on me today and insured me against accident; hope you will never realize on it.
Will
Copyright (c) 1996 by Dennis Bell. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.