June 6, 1899 letter to Nancy Brown from Lela Brown

June 6, 1899

To: Nancy Brown

From: Lela Brown, Chicago IL

Describes the shopping she and Bess had done in preparation for their brother’s wedding.

1899-06-06 Lela Brown to Nancy Brown

Chicago, Ill

June 6, 1899

My dear Mamma:

Your letter came this morning so will write just a little before I do my work. We didnt do our supper dishes last night so I have all of them besides the breakfast dishes to do. Will Fraser and a Mr Dietrick were here to supper. They have a little money to spend and are here to spend it. Will wants to get work here if he can. Hes quite a nice looking fellow but Claude[1] went down town with them when they went and he said they were pretty sporty. They are coming up again before we go home.

I shall come Monday and may stop in Kalamazoo but dont think so. It wont be much fun for me to as they will nearly all be strangers. Then I haven’t any real pretty shirt waist[2] to wear. I will write to Essie to-day to see about having the trunk go there. It will be so much handier than it would out to Edies.[3]

I didnt write to the Dr[4] Sat but shall do so today.

Uncle Wills folks[5] got Claude a piece of statuary (Diana). It is swell, marble finish and quite a little larger than theirs. The price was 6.00 but the man let Uncle Will have it for 4.00 as he had done so much for him.

Bess[6] and I went down town yesterday you know Mi___est.  Bess came back without a cent and I owed Papa[7] 3.00. Bess got two pr shoes 1.98 pr slippers 2.98 for shoes. Got slippers just like hers but didnt get shoes.

We got hats mine is white leghorn with a great big blue bow right in front and black velvet ribbon bows in back and under the crown and three bunches of white flowers in the back. Its awfully rich in more ways than one but I wont tell you how much it cost for I want you to keep up until after the wedding.[8] I shall be careful of it and make it last two summers. Bess’s is pure white chip with sort of old rose silk around the crown and a large bow in front also white flowers and foliage in the front. Her trimming is more serviceable than mine but I had to get something I could wear to the church with my white dress.

We got blue ribbons for our dresses and they made the bows for us at the store for nothing. It took three yds for the neck and belt pd 25¢ a yd. I thought that was the best we could do. Bess got some red ribbons for her linen dress too.

I guess Claude didnt have time to think that last Sunday was his last Sunday at home as he worked all day and went to the theatre in the evening. We are having nice warm weather and bed bugs here. We are fumegating your room this morning.

Must close and go to work. Write as we will hear Saturday if you can.

With love to all

Lela

——-

[1] Her brother, Claude Brown

[2] The bodice of a dress, or a blouse

[3] Claude’s fiancée, Edith Neumaier

[4] Samuel Boyer; he had asked Lela to marry him

[5] Her paternal uncle and aunt, Willis & Elizabeth (Ogden) Brown

[6] Her sister, Bess Brown

[7] Her father, Henry Brown

[8] Claude & Eda’s wedding which was on June 15th