wholesome pother of the old type with whom the babies are first. 
Nelson is away out in Denver attending some convention.There is some 
little danger that he will make the mistake of laying too much stress upon 
the game conservation side^ of. the Survey..His assistant chief is a good 
business man ,but he is not the chief,and at present S..W. appears to believe Mm 
thst his presence at the balk fests in various parts of the country -are of 
more importance than sitting at his desk and managing affairs here.Merriam 
and I,perhaps,went too far the other way,and took comparatively pains to joll 
the boys here and there and be present at their meetings.Apparently E.W.is mm 
much fonder of talking than either of us,and misses no ohanoe to have his say 
in public.And Goodness knows there are enough chances and to spare. 
I am g£Ujd that the farm affairs are off your mind for the pbesent by 
a, 
what appears to be v^ry satisfactory adjustment.A nurse in the family is,as 
you mention, something of an asset.especially if they are are as hard to come 
by elsewhere as in Washington,where their services are difficult to secure on 
any terms, even including that of honorable, marriage. Even now the city is over- 
crowded,and the man o?: woman who has apartments to leok after is mighty for¬ 
tunate to secure the services of any one,white or black,who will come around 
once in a while and move the dust about.At present I enjoy the services of 
a respectable lady of oolor who is doing very well,her only fault being her 
inordinate estimate of the value of her servies as expressed in dollars and 
cents. 
However,I feel comparatively affluent at the present moment as i have 
made my tax returns,and found nothing to pay.So much of my income is in stook 
payable at the source that I escaped the clutches of the law^though of course 
the immunity is apparent and not 
