Idaho Springs. June 13th My dear Boy Edward I received your very nice letter and was glad to hear from you. Laddie and you must have a jolly time together would like to see Laddie and you frolicing around with his harness on. Papa and Mama must be very good to you, buying a harness for your dog Laddie, and now and again flying around the country in an Automobile and then going to the pictures shows and seeing all kinds of people even hearing Harry Lauder speak. You thought it was grandpa that was speaking haha I don't have a voice like a crow if I had as much money as Harry Lauder has I would take you up in a balloon boy. I would have written to you before this but this is the first day that I have had time to do it. Nothing much going on here just pictures shows and Automobiles running around. Grandma says she is going down to see you all in the fall. One day last week I went fishing but the creek was too high, too much water in it for good fishing. The bad fishes would not bite. You know the good fishes never bite. Well, I walked along the creek until I came to a small lake surrounded by trees and rocks. I threw in my fishing line and in a minute I had a bite. Had quite a time getting him out and when I pulled the trout out, it made a great hole in the water. Oh! it was a dandy. But just as I got it on land a Beaver came out from the root of a tree and sprang at the big fish. The fish was flapping and the Beaver was jumping and I was standing there with my mouth wide open looking on. Finally the Beaver caught the big fish by the tail and plunged in the water, broke my line and disappeared. The Beaver was as black as coal and had eyes like the stars. Then the fight between the Beaver and Trout was going on, I said to myself, I would give a box of candy if Laddie was here. Well, I had to go home for my fishing line was gone and as I was walking along the road with my eyes on the ground thinking how foolish I was to let the fish and Beaver get away. All at once I gave a leap and plunged into the middle of the road among the dust. I thought it was an Automobile that struck me. I turned my head a little and looked with one eye and what do you think I saw. A Billy goat standing there with a broken horn ready for another Butt. But I lay very still, did not breathe. In a little while Billy goat went away, he thought I was all in. I got up and shook myself and walked along. A few minutes after I got that awful bump I saw a Fox going across the road with a poor big chicken in its mouth. I ran after it and made a loud noise with my voice that it scared the fox and it let the chicken fall. I took up the poor chicken and rubbed it and petted it, and in a little while it seemed all right. So I put it down, it made a circle and shook its head several times then ran home. Oh I would have given two boxes of candy if Laddie had be here to catch that bad fox. About half an hour later I saw a magpie sitting on a boulder right in the middle of the road. I wondered what that boulder or rock was there for. It was right in the way so I rolled away, and what do you think was under it — 50 cents and a postage stamp. On the back of the stamp was written "In 1893." A magpie flew to the top of a tree. Into your pocket put the money Edward; don't you think it funny. Before I got home I went into the Butcher shop and bought four small trout with the 50-cents, for I did not want to go home without some fish. Grandma and Heather asked me if I had any trout. I said, "You bet." So we cleaned them, put them in the pan to cook, but just as we were doing that we heard a band playing. So we all ran to the door to hear the music and when there came an automobile full of young girls, they asked Heather to go and off she went. The band playing the tune, the old folks left behind me. We forgot all about the trout cooking. When we got back, they had gone up in smoke, all burnt. Was not that a shame. I must quit Edward, you will be tired reading it Grandma went to Denver Thursday coming back to morrow. Heather and I sends our dearest love to you and to Papa and Mama Your loving Grandpa