Well, sweetheart, I seem to have gotten a long way from home in a mighty little time. But it has been a very nice comfortable easy trip all day today. We are just in—& I am in bed, already. We had a hotel car—& consequently three meals. Cable is here—came yesterday.

Mamma, I am in a fearful fright. I knew there was some reason why I wanted to unpack my valise myself when I reached home I about a week ago. It I remember, now, it was because that Chicago poetess’s letter was in the flap of it & must be answered. Now I hope it is still amongst the rubbish which Katy put upon the table under your little Tauchnitz bookshelves. If it is, send it to me—& give it 4 or 5 days to reach me, so I shall be sure to get it. She is a good deal of a poetess, & Cable & I think we can find work for her.

More railroad rules! I was infringing one of them today—& suspected I was. The drawing room conductor came & ordered me to stop. “Why shall I stop?” “Because it is against the rules of the company.” “Who gave the company authority to curtail my librerties?” “I do not know anything about that—I only know it is a rule of the company, & that it is my business to enforce it.” “Very well, then, I am curious to see how you are going to enforce it. I don’t see but that you have got rather an embarrassing contract on your hands.” He didn’t appear to know just what to do next, so he went & brought the train conductor, who said, with fine bluster, “That won’t do,—you’ll have to stop that!” I said, “I have been told that already, & I said I wouldn’t stop it—& you see, yourself, that I haven’t stopped it. I am a free citizen, & not the property of your railroad company. This rule of yours is an impertinence & I d shall drag it in the dirt all day. Now tell me how you propose to prevent it.” He said modified his manner then, & became exceedingly civil. Said he had no option; that he was required to inflict the rule, & would be discharged if he didn’t .;Ⓐemendation he supposed he ought to report me. I said, “You must report me; ◊ if you don’t report me, I will report you for not doing it. I want this thing to run its full course, for I am not going to allow this company to hector me around just at their good will & pleasure.”

Of course he couldn’t do anything, so he had to leave me alone—to the joy of all the passengers. They said they had often seen the rule applied, but had never seen it resisted before. I wonder if we shall have any liberties left, by & by, if we keep up our American habit of meekly submitting to every imposition that is put upon us.

I love you, you dearest mamma, & all those kinders, too.