CONGRATULATIONS,[1] CONDOLENCES, RESIGNATIONS, ETC.
=297. From a Lady Addressing Birthday Congratulations to a Friend.=
D----, March 14, 19--.
My Dear Old Friend:--
I have not forgotten that the 16th of March is the anniversary of
your birth. I should not like the day to pass without assuring you of
my deep and sincere interest in all that concerns you. Our paths lie
widely apart, but just such occasions serve as happy opportunities
for the interchange of kindly feeling, and the revival of many happy
memories. I hope this brief note will reach you on the 16th, also a
little token of affectionate regard which I have wrought with my own
hand. Pray accept it, not for its own value, but for the sake of the
thoughts it represents.
Faithfully yours,
ELVIRA JONES.
=298. Condoling with a Friend about His Failure in Business.=
L----, August 17, 19--.
My Esteemed Old Friend:--
We were exceedingly pained to learn from the newspapers of yesterday
that, after a long struggle, you have been compelled to yield to the
resistless pressure of these hard times. Success in business is often
a mere accident and merits little praise, and in like manner, failure
in business is often the sad and only return for a long and patient
fight against tremendous odds. In these days of merciless competition,
the spirit of fair trading seems to be almost buried out of sight. It
is no longer a case of "the survival of the fittest," so much as of
the survival of "the smartest." But we should not let undeserved defeat
bring despair. As the poet says:
"Hope springs eternal in the human breast,"
and I most sincerely trust there are brighter days in store for you. We
feel sure you can have nothing to blame yourself for in these reverses.
Everybody who knows Alfred Baker knows that he is the soul of honor,
that he holds integrity by the right hand and by the left.
I exceedingly regret that my letter must be one of words only, and wish
it were possible to ask you to draw upon me for some useful, helpful
amount. But that is utterly beyond my power. Letters are not of much
value in such a crisis as you are now passing through, and yet we could
not keep silent.
Pray accept these few words of heartfelt sympathy. Be brave! Be
hopeful! Better days will come.
Very truly yours,
PHILLIP SMITH.
=299. Informing a Wife of the Illness of Her Husband.=
B----, September 10, 19--.
Dear Mrs. Oldfield:--
I have been asked by your husband to write and tell you he has a bad
attack of gout and cannot use his right arm; he feels quite helpless,
and hopes you will come to him at once. We are taking every care of
him, and he has a very good doctor, but of course he would be very glad
to have you with him, and although we have not yet had the pleasure of
meeting, I hope you will not make any ceremony about staying with us
until your husband is quite well again. We shall be very pleased to see
you in spite of the unfortunate circumstances which occasion your first
visit to us. With best regards from Mr. Densmore and myself,
Believe me,
Very truly yours,
SYLVIA DENSMORE.
=300. Informing a Gentleman of the Illness of His Wife.=
S----, August 20, 19--.
Dear Mr. Lord:--
I am personally unknown to you, but your wife is a great friend of
mine, and on calling upon her, this morning, I found that she was
seriously ill. Of course, you ought to know of this at once, and I
would have sent a telegram, but the doctor said there was no immediate
danger, and that you had better be informed of her illness by letter.
The landlady of the boarding house where she is staying seems very
attentive and kind, still it would certainly be a great comfort to Mrs.
Lord if you could bring her sister down with you. In the meantime, I
will do all that is possible for her, and am happy to say she has the
best advice our place can furnish.
Believe me,
Yours sincerely,
LINA STEPNEY GORE.
=301. Informing a Married Daughter of the Illness of Her Mother.=
T----, November 15, 19--.
Dear Mrs. Lester:--
I am very sorry to have to inform you that your mother has caught a
very severe cold; the doctor seems anxious about her, and says it is
an attack of bronchitis. She has been in bed for the last three days,
but would not let me write before for fear of unnecessarily alarming
you; however, to-day, being no better, she has desired me to do so. The
doctor is coming again to-morrow, and should there be a change for the
worse I will send you a telegram after he has seen her. She is very
restless at night, and cannot be persuaded to take any nourishment
beyond a little milk. I came here on a visit last week, with the
intention of returning home yesterday, but did not like to leave your
mother as she was so ill.
With kind remembrances, believe me,
Very truly yours,
IDA SMYTHE.
=302. Inquiring after the Health of a Lady's Husband.=
R----, April 4, 19--.
Dear Mrs. Leverett:--
I sent over this afternoon to inquire after Mr. Leverett, and was very
sorry indeed to hear he is no better, and that you are very anxious
about him; but I trust there may be shortly some improvement in his
condition. Pray do not think of answering this note; I merely write to
assure you of my sympathy, and to say how happy it would make me to be
of use to you in any way; I would of course call at once if you cared
to see me.
With kindest regards, and very best wishes for your good husband's
quick recovery,
Believe me,
Very sincerely yours,
ALVA BELDEN.
=303. Indirectly Inquiring after the Health of an Invalid.=
C----, June 10, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Keane:--
I heard yesterday for the first time, through some friends who have
just returned home from P----, that your sister was seriously ill when
they left V----; however, I hope that you have received a better report
of her during the last few days, and that there is no further cause for
anxiety. When you write will you say everything that is most kind from
me, and please tell her I thought it best not to trouble her with a
letter until we heard how she was, as we know how trying it is after a
severe illness to answer letters of inquiry.
Believe me,
Yours most sincerely,
ADA YOUNG.
=304. Sympathizing with a Confirmed Invalid.=
S----, August 27, 19--.
Dear Mrs. Silverton:--
I was deeply distressed to learn from your niece, Gertrude, of your
continued indisposition. Had hoped that by this time you would
have been fully restored to health. But the ways of Providence are
inscrutable, and all we can do is to bow in submission to the Divine
will, assured that these chastenings of affliction are not sent in
anger, but are proofs of a loving Father's care. "His paths are in
the sea, and His footsteps are in the deep waters." He causeth "all
things to work together for good" to those who put their trust in Him.
But I need not remind you of these sources of comfort in the day of
your trial and sorrow. Your long experience in the Christian life will
suggest to you a thousand secret springs of gracious consolation. It
is not necessary to assure you how ardently we all desire your speedy
return to health. With tender sympathy and many earnest prayers
I am, dear Mrs. Silverton,
Yours affectionately,
MARY DINSMORE.
=305. From a Daughter, Announcing the Death of Her Mother.=
D----, May 18, 19--.
Dear Aunt Mary:--
You must, doubtless, be prepared for the sad news I have to convey,
the death of my dearest, most precious mother. It took place yesterday
afternoon at four o'clock. Father is too broken-hearted to write
himself. We were all with her, and she was conscious to the last. Will
you and uncle be able to attend the funeral on Saturday next? Please
excuse this short letter, dear aunt, as I am really too upset to write
connected sentences.
Your sorrowful niece,
LINA BLACK.
=306. To a Brother-in-Law, Announcing the Death of the Writer's
Husband.=
F----, May 17, 19--.
Dear Arthur:--
You will have received my telegram telling you that my dear husband
was sinking fast. The change for the worse took place quite suddenly
last night, and this morning at six o'clock he died. I am too miserable
to write more, pray come to me if possible; there is so much to be
arranged, and I feel quite unequal to giving the necessary directions
for the funeral.
Your unhappy sister,
JULIA C. DUDENY.
=307. Condoling with a Lady on the Death of Her Husband.=
P----, July 28, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Lovering:--
I was deeply grieved to hear of the death of your husband, and write
to offer you my sincerest sympathy. At present, I have no doubt, you
can hardly realize your loss, and the blank made in your life must be
very terrible to bear; you were so much to each other, and appeared to
be so truly happy in your married life. By and by I trust the care of
your boy will give you an interest in life, but fear you must be too
miserable as yet to take comfort even from this.
With kind love, believe me,
Your affectionate friend,
HARRIET SINGLETON.
=308. Answer to the Above.=
R----, August 12, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Singleton:--
Thank you ever so much for your touching letter; the loss of my dear
husband has left me unspeakably desolate, and I can hardly bear to
write of my sorrow as yet. I feel too broken-hearted to do anything but
sit down and cry helplessly. Of course I ought to rouse myself, but the
knowledge that he has gone from me forever, and that henceforward I
shall be alone, deprived of his loving care, is all that I can realize.
By and by my duty toward my child will give me something to live for,
but at present I can only mourn, and pray for resignation.
Believe me, dear Mrs. Singleton,
Yours in great grief,
GEORGIANA LOVERING.
=309. Condoling with a Gentleman on the Death of His Wife.=
C----, July 10, 19--.
Dear Mr. Stevens:--
It seems almost cruel to intrude upon you in your great sorrow, but I
cannot delay writing how much my husband and myself sympathize with
you. We saw the announcement of the death of your dear wife in the
"Journal," and were greatly shocked, as we had not even heard of her
illness. Pray do not think of answering this letter; I only wanted to
say that our hearts are with you, in this severe bereavement, the more
sad since your dear little girls are thus deprived at so tender an age
of a loving mother's care.
With our united kind regards and deep sympathy,
Believe me,
Very truly yours,
ADA B. CHAMBERLAIN.
=310. Answer to the Above.=
C----, July 17, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Chamberlain:--
Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your kind letter of sympathy.
My dear wife's death has left me utterly miserable, and her loss to
me is irreparable. She was the dearest and best of women, and the
void created in my life is, indeed, most terrible to bear. My darling
children are scarcely old enough to understand all the misery of the
present moment.
Remember me kindly to your husband. I remain,
Sorrowfully yours,
JAMES STEVENS.
=311. Condoling with a Lady on the Death of Her Brother.=
P----, April 3, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Heywood:--
I was deeply concerned to read, in the Paris edition of the "N----
Y---- H----," about the death of your brother. Although you have not
seen much of him of late years, still of course his loss must have
been a great shock to you. I remember him a handsome, most promising
young fellow; how sad that he should thus be cut off in the prime of
life! Have you heard any particulars beyond the fact of his death? I
suppose his poor young wife will return at once to her own people, as
he has left two children. I am truly grieved for you all; and with kind
regards,
Believe me as ever,
Your affectionate old friend,
EDGAR SAUNDERSON.
=312. Answer to the Above.=
O----, May 10, 19--.
Dear Mr. Saunderson:--
Please accept my most earnest thanks for your kind letter of
condolence. My poor brother's unexpected death was indeed a great shock
to us. All that we have as yet heard is that he was ill only three
days, and that enteric fever was the cause of death; his wife was too
overwhelmed with grief to write more fully, but we trust we shall hear
from her by next mail. Her father is very anxious that she should
come back to us at once with her children. John and I were such great
friends up to the time of his marriage, it seems too sad to think that
I shall never see him again; we were fond and proud of him too, and his
sudden death is inexpressibly terrible to us all.
With kind love believe me, dear Mr. Saunderson,
Yours affectionately,
MARY LAWSON HEYWOOD.
=313. Condoling with a Young Lady on the Death of Her Mother.=
P----, October 3, 19--.
My Dear Margaret:--
I was deeply grieved to hear from you of the death of your dear mother,
and I can well imagine how greatly you must miss her every hour.
You have one consolation, however, that of having been the best of
daughters to her, and having given her the most devoted care during her
long illness. In such a trial as this, little can be said to comfort
you, and time alone will soften your sorrow for the loss of the kindest
of mothers. In her death I have lost a dear friend, and indeed all who
knew her cannot fail to regret one who was so amiable and unselfish.
Have you made any plans as yet, and what does your brother wish you to
do?--are you to live with him or with one of your mother's relatives?
I shall be much interested to hear what you propose doing, and if you
would care to come to us for a quiet visit, do not hesitate to say
so. Mr. Standish unites with me in sending you and your brother the
expression of our profound sympathy.
Believe me, dear Margaret,
Your affectionate friend,
HELEN H. STANDISH.
=314. Condoling with a Friend on the Loss of Her Child.=
D----, Nov. 17, 19--.
My Dear Mrs. Jackson:--
I never felt so much at a loss to express my feelings. If only I could
tell you all that is in my heart! It seems to me that in the presence
of your great grief, silence is the only suitable offering. How deeply
I sympathize with you no words of mine can tell, and to utter the
common words of condolence would serve no end in your case.
"For common is the common place,
And empty chaff well meant."
One only hope can comfort you in these sad hours, the hope that
somewhere in the "many mansions" of our "Father's house," the daughter
who loved you with all the sweetness of her early affection loves you
still. The shadows of the valley of death cannot eclipse the light of
love.
Time, the great healer, will bring balm to your wounded spirit. I have
just been reading the poems of Horatius Bonar, and I recall a stanza
of his that expresses better than any words of mine could do the calm,
divine hope of a reunion of the loved and lost in that fair land that
lies beyond the boundaries of time. It runs thus:
"Where the faded flower shall blossom,
Blossom never more to fade;
Where the shaded sky shall brighten,
Brighten never more to shade,
Where the child shall meet her mother
And the mother meet her child;
And dear families be gathered,
That were scattered on the wild----
Dear ones, we shall meet and rest,
Mid the holy and the blest!"
May the hope of a future reunion be your hope, and comfort, and stay.
I am, my dear Mrs. Wilson,
Ever yours sincerely,
EVA ROBERTS.
=315. Condoling with a Lady on the Death of a Friend.=
L----, January 28, 19--.
Dearest Emma:--
I only accidentally heard last night of the death of poor Mrs.
Fredericks; she was a great friend of yours, and you must have been
very grieved and upset when the sad news reached you. You were so fond
of her that no doubt you felt as if you had lost a near relation, and
very naturally, as she was beloved and admired by all who knew her. I
do so pity the husband, and the little motherless girl.
I hope you are enjoying good health; we have all been suffering from
colds lately.
Believe me, dear Emma,
Your sympathetic friend,
MAUD DILLINGHAM.
=316. Answer to the Above.=
P----, February 1, 19--.
My Dear Maud:--
Poor Mrs. Fredericks' death has indeed caused a blank amongst her many
friends, but none of them will miss her more than I shall, as we were
brought up together and were quite like sisters. I cannot tell you how
greatly her loss affects me; she was so much to us in every way, such a
dear, dear friend. Her husband seems heart-broken, he thinks of going
abroad for a few months, and his little daughter is to remain with me
during his absence.
Excuse my not writing a longer letter to-day, and believe me, dear Maud,
Your affectionate
EMMA CARTER.
=317. Asking a Friend to Attend a Funeral.=
B----, September 1, 19--.
DEAR SIR:--
I have been requested by Mrs. Judson to inform you that the funeral of
her son, the late Mr. Edgar Judson, is to take place at Grace P. E.
Church, on Saturday, the 17th instant, at 12 o'clock, and to say that
she would be grateful if you could attend the services.
Believe me,
Yours respectfully,
HENRY FOSTER.
=318. To a Lady, Offering to Attend the Funeral of Her Husband.=
C----, July 14, 19--.
Dear Mrs. Carson:--
I was deeply shocked to hear of the death of my valued old friend, Mr.
Carson, and beg to offer you my sincere sympathy. I much wish to attend
the funeral, unless you desire that only relatives should be present.
Perhaps you will kindly let me know your decision on the subject, and
when and where the ceremony is to take place.
I remain,
Very truly yours,
HENRY B. WILDER.
=319. Asking a Relative to attend a Funeral.=
The Grove,
S----, April 13, 19--.
Dear Uncle James:--
By this time you have surely received my telegram containing the sad
news of my dear mother's death. My father is quite overcome with grief
at the suddenness of the blow that has fallen upon us all, and is
therefore unequal to writing himself, but he wishes me to say that
the funeral is to take place on Saturday next, the 10th instant, at 2
o'clock, at the North Baptist Church, and he hopes you will attend if
possible.
With our united best love, I remain, in deep grief,
Your affectionate nephew,
HERBERT REEVES.
=320. To a Relative, Offering to attend a Funeral.=
D----, May 19, 19--.
Dear Aunt Julia:--
I can hardly find words to tell you how deeply we were shocked and
grieved to hear of my dear kind uncle's death. You did not say when
the funeral is to take place, but please let me know, as I much wish
to attend it and to pay this last mark of respect to one for whom we
entertained so deep and sincere an affection.
Believe me, dear aunt, with much love,
Your sorrowful nephew,
JAMES WARNER.
Footnotes:
[1] For other Letters of Congratulation, see pp. 98, 108, 150, 151, 153.