Miss Allene S. Kelley,
Modesto,
California
Dearest:- It's only eight thirty and Sunday morning yet I've been up for two hours and a half! What do you think of that? This early rising is growing on me;- getting to be an awful habit. If I didn't have to use both physical and mental forces in my strife for that fortune, perhaps when daylight awakened me I could roll over on the other side and render a bass-viol accompaniment to the birds' spring songs; as it is that early worm is the one I'm after and the lazy late bird goes hungry.
Dr. W. seems to think I'm a funny fellow. I think he's it. Anyway my opinion is that lack of work worries him not; that he'd be perfectly willing to sit calmly down even tho' no patients came. With me ---- well if I know of a prospective patient, say, I go right out after him and, if he's got any notion at all of having the work done, I'll come pretty near landing him. It may not be a strictly ethical method, but as I've told Doc., it's the money we're after, -- not the glory. The first question that's always asked about a man is "what does he do for a living," and if the man in question has the money the conversation's closed --- and I'd like to have those conversations about me very brief.
I hope you'll like the picture I sent you yesterday, Allene dear, -- of course I know it doesn't do me justice (I say that with a "straight" face) but I never carried away the prize from any beauty show, which shows my face is my fortune and I have to work for a living.
'Twas very nice of you dear to send a letter so I'd get it here this morning and I did and I'm going to answer all the questions in it and in the others I've neglected lately.
I remember the color of your hair, and a lot of other nice things I noticed about you dear. If red hair is an excuse for your "spit fire" explosions, it may be necessary for a peroxide or other chemical treatment -- ---unless you can calm (pronounced "cam") yourself down when you feel an outburst approaching;-- can you?
Weather's fine - no snow 'ceptin' in the country and on the mountains. There's plenty there.
Wowie! I'm glad you told me - you're some "card sharper." I'll choose you for a partner when we play bridge.
Tell Hazel I wish she wouldn't come pesterin' around when you're writing to me. It's none of her business anyhow and she got no right to let you use her as an excuse for cutting me short - and she son't need to be standing around waiting for you to "hurry up and finish."
Tomorrow, dear, we go back to Wells for another few days. We're just like a bee in a flower garden.
With love dearest, -
Always yours,
Frank
April 9th
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