213 Fourth Street
Redlands, Calif.
My dear Miss Jeannie,
January is about to slip away from me before I write to you, so now is where your trouble begins. It will be necessary for me to recount a bit of ancient history, in order for you to keep track of me. For one of my Lexington friends wrote recently, he was going to telegraph the war department in Washington and say: “For the love of Mike find Lizza.”
Where was I the last time? Probably in San Diego – well I am teaching in the city schools of Redlands now, and have a most delightful place.
You know Redlands is the home of the oranges, and truly named too, for every yard is full of trees, and there are thousands of trees everywhere. One has not a very good idea of southern California until he visits the orange belt.
Last week I had such a grand trip up the mountains. We left the roses and oranges, and in two hours were in the deep canons with the mountains towering over us; then on over the ice and snow mountain sides where we skidded so many times our driver stopped for us to get out, and at one point if we had slipped six inches, down we would have fallen over a precipice thousands of feet. I shudder now at it. But the sights were worth it.
As Van Dyke has said, these mountains rise more suddenly to a greater height than any other mountains in the world. Just my idea exactly of what a real mountain should be. The Rockies are high and grand, but these awe you.
Oh! Listen to me trying to tell you what I saw – why James Allen or John Fox couldn’t really tell what these mountains are. Then we came to solid snow, which wouldn’t surprise or please you especially, but we had taken our lunch, and threw oranges and snow balls together.
I am sixty-six miles from Los Angeles and go home every other Friday. Mother and Sallie are in Los Angeles. Sallie had an operation for appendicitis this fall and has not been in school until the first of February.
The Hughes and Garvins from Bowling Green were at the same place we were in Los Angeles, and we became great friends. Mrs. Hughes spoke of Mrs. Alexander and Janie May. By chance I came to engage a room from a woman from Russellville, Kentucky. Imagine my surprise to find Duff Burnette’s picture on her mantle. (Duff was my first real beau.) Someone teased me the other day and said I seemed to know somebody from all parts of the world.
Later –
On Saturday night by 8 o’clock the street boys are calling out: “Sunday Morning Times”. Already one week after Christmas you see the signs: “Shop early! Now is the time to begin your next Christmas shopping.”
I find the information I received in Psychology ten years ago – so that it is almost impossible to recognize the same subject as taught today. No book in Geography is accepted, that is dated before 1909. Today’s information only is worthwhile. My head swims and I keep up – and remember one thing you taught us – as Primary children stands good for today – “Stand on the balls of your feet.”
I believe you have a fair idea of where I am, what I am doing and – no, you don’t know what I’m reading, do you? There is a splendid library two blocks from me, and in this way, I read the leading magazines each month.“The Eyes of the World” is really about Redlands – but he calls it Fairlands.
I should so much love to hear from you, and know what you are doing. If you are planning a trip to the Expositions and where Georgia is this winter? I think one loses a great deal of the true beauty of California unless he comes into this orange belt, as I have probably said ten times in this one epistle.
Really now – I am going to stop writing such long drawn out things.
With much love for you and many wishes for the year 1915 to bring you what you want.
Your friend,
Elizabeth Page