145  Virginia  Street 
Elmhurst,  Ill* 
August  6.  1924 
Dear  Mr*  Deans: 
Your  letter  of  June  30  should  not  have  remained  so  long 
unanswered,  but  owing  to  various  circumstances  I  am  not  the  good  eo$ res¬ 
pondent  I  used  to  pride  myself  on  being*  To  begin  with,  I  had  the  sinus 
operation  I  spoke  of*  It  was  not  especially  painful,  but  what  followed 
was  excessively  so*  Four  days  after,  to  pass  over  the  painful  night  that 
immediately  followed,  I  had  the  rubber  tube  removed*  This  was  like  the 
simultaneous  and  slow  extraction  of  three  molars,  and  to  add  insult  to 
injury  I  was  subjected  to  a  fresh  packing  of  the  bole^^th  gauze  -  an 
operation  scarcely  less  painful  than  the  removal  of  the  tube*  Since  then 
my  visits  to  the  surgeon  have  nean  less  trying  and  I  think  I  can  say  that 
the  trouble  which  was  discovered  as  long  ago  as  last  December  is  now  def¬ 
initely  a  thing  of  the  oast*  Sut  tired  nature,  as  if  loth  to  1st  me  off 
too  easily,  has  contrived  a  fresh  torment,  an  obstinate  neuritis  in  arms 
and  shoulders*  This  is  letting  up  some  and  I  believe  I  shall  finally 
shake  i&*  My  physician,  Dr»J. Murray  latfhburne,  a  Harvard  man, by  the  way, 
advised  my  trying  something  he  proved  out  in  his  own  case  a  few  .years  ago* 
He  had  a  worse  attack  than  mine, making  him  miserable  for  four  months*  He 
finally  went  no  Florida  and  spent  frhe  greater  part  of  ten  days  on  one  of 
the  beaches  in  the  glaring  sun,  of  course  attired  only  in  a  bathing  suit* 
My  beach  is  my  back  yard,  and  having  mislaid  my  bathing  suit  I  am  forced 
bo  use  the  B . V. D. combinat ion  as  the  best  substitute*  Well.  I  tried  it  for 
some  time  yesterday  and  intend  to  keep  at  it*  If  ten  days  of  exposure 
cured  the  doctor  perhaps  a  similar  course  of  treatments  will  suffice  for 
the  patient*  You  may  then  think  of  me  as  taking  these  sun-baths  and  the 
while  using  smoked  glasses  bo  protect  the  eyes  from  the  glare  while  I  read* 
My  reputation  with  the  parishioners  has  to  be  considered*  If  any  should 
chance  to  look  me  up  while  this  sort  of  thing  was  going  on  I  imagine  the 
first  thought  would  be  that  of  asking  for  a  commission  de  lunatico*  I  was 
spied  yesterday  by  a  boy  coming  into  the  next  house  from  a  delivery  wagon, 
and  his  sarcastic  comments  were  probably  justified  when  the  fact  is  stated 
that  the  mercury  was  then  92°  in  the  snads^  But  owing  to  my  mens  sibi 
conscia  recti  I  ignored  his  gibes* 
Mrs*  Foster  has  been  getting  along  very  well  and  we  have  been  enjoying 
our  summer  at  home,  our  first  of  the  sort  in  many  years*  She  has  taken 
this  time  to  have  some  extensive  dental  work  done,  very  necessary  and  quite 
painful,  but  I  hope  and  believe  she  will  be  through  with  that  by  the  end 
of  this  month*  We  have  enjoyed  our  car  and  so  far  have  had  no  accidents  - 
I  say  this  with  reference  to  your  solicitude,  which  I  grant  is  fully 
