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My dear Gee:

Say, old pal, that was a dandy letter that you sent me. Just got it, and I read it, every word, then I read it again. And I'll say right here that a boy who is so GOOD he gets a chance to erase the blackboard ought to have and EVERSHARP pencil, so your old dad is sending you HIS pencil, the one he wrote TROUBLES IN DOUBLES with when he was at Grandma's last summer. So you see it is a very famous (?) pencil and you want to be very careful with it. Your dad has carried it for nearly three years, and it wouldn't be very nice for you to go and lose it.

I am sending the pencil in a little box, and ma will show you how to use it. Now, don't go monkeying with it, just to see how it works. If you do that the teacher will be displeased and she probably will take it away from you. And if you go monkeying with it you probably will jimmy it so it won't work.

When you need a new lead ma will fix it for you. I am sending it to you with a new lead and it should last several weeks, the amount of writing you do.

So grandma is a base hugger. What's that -- something good to eat? You better write and tell me what a base hugger is.

I'm glad you're having a good time, and I'm still more glad that you are working hard at school and getting along so nicely. It's pretty fine to have a little boy who takes a great interest in his school work and TRIES to learn all he can. I guess I wouldn't trade a little boy like that for any other little boy in the whole world.

I'll be awfully glad to see you, Gee, and I bet you'll be tickled to see your old dad. We're pretty good pals, I'll say. We like the woods and like the lakes and rivers and like to climb trees and build camp fires. Guess, I never had a pal I like as much as I do you.

Did you get the little story I wrote you? I had a lot of fun writing it. Bet you liked it, too, because it is a story about some of your “old friends”, and because Daddy wrote it.

Now, just get busy whenever you have the time and write me another letter and tell me how you like the story, and tell me more about grandma being a base hugger, and about Miss Ford and every thing.

And I'll write you nice long letters so we won't forget each other -- though I guess we wouldn't be likely to do that.

Lovingly,
Dad.