Edith Bolling Wilson to Alice Gertrude Gordon Grayson
Title
Edith Bolling Wilson to Alice Gertrude Gordon Grayson
Creator
Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt, 1872-1961
Identifier
WWP15604
Date
1919 January 11
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
28 rue de Marceau
Dearest little girl
Tomorrow brings your birthday & this is to send you all sorts of love & tender wishes for many, many more anniversaries, when you & Cary can be together & I, near enough to secure the day & celebrate in true form. Ever since we came I have wanted to write—but the days have been impossible.
First of all—I must thank you for your dear thoughts of me at Xmas—It was just like you to look ahead & get Benham to get some thing to represent you—and I can’t tell you how touched & pleased I was—
But for dear thoughts like yours I would not believe Xmas had come—for we were on the jump so we did not have a chance to get into the glorious spirit of it. Although the people here loaded us with flowers—& Xmas greens etc. & did all they could to make it a real Xmas—
When we got back from Italy I found your dear letter of Dec. 18 waiting to welcome me—& you know how eagerly I read every word—
It was a lovely letter, & made me quite home sick for you—I have tried to point out to Cary our old haunts, & he is always so thrilled & interested—At Milan I showed him where you had to be lead down from the dizzy height of the Cathedral—
How little we thought those days of my returning with your husband! to say nothing of all the other wonderful things that have happened—We stayed at the Palais overlooking the Cathedral & that great square—& that night went to the “Scala” to a beautiful performance.
Every box & every seat crowded to the roof & such a burst of welcome from every throat—! I know Cary has kept you in touch with all we have done—& it is just so much crowded into a brief time that my brain reels. The experiences & emotions of a life time—packed inot a few weeks—Fortunately the 3 countries—FranceEngland & Italy are so different in custom, race & expression there is no danger of confusing the events which marked our stay in each—and when I get home I will probably wear you out telling you things.
Everyone you ever heard of or dreamed of is in Paris—Dick Patterson is in charge of the Crillon since it was taken over by Americans—If he had only been in charge in our poverty stricken days when he was so in love with you perhaps you would have loved him in very gratitude
Tony Lucas is here too—& every one else you can think of. Helen’s sister, Mrs. Brower, dined with us last night with a freind of hers, Mrs. Stacy—both of them go to Verdun for YMCA work.—Just here faithful old Hoover appeared & said “Here is a letter from Mary, Queen of England which I thought you might like to have—”It is a reply to my bread & butter letter—& very nice—It is evidently a custom in these old countries to reply to every letter—
I sent a note to Orlando thanking him for a wonderful piece of Italian lace he sent me & he replied with a volley in his own tongue which a little Belgian who helps Miss Benham is struggling to translate.—
Benham—bless her heart, is conducting Susie through the Bon Marché this morning—I tell her she is an angel to do it, but I think poor Susie gets very lonely as our servants speak nothing but French—though they are just as nice to her as can be, of course they can only make signs—
As to that dear Cary—I don’t know how we would do without him—He takes care of every ones troubles & stands between us & complaints of all & various sorts—He is always on hand to help & is a constant joy—I feel we are robbing you—but I know you are willing—The pouch goes this afternoon so I must stop & send Mother a line—I am so glad you, Mother & B. can see each other—they wrote me you had been so sweet to them & how they both enjoyed you—Lots & lots of love in which Woodrow joins
Miss Ede
Dearest little girl
Tomorrow brings your birthday & this is to send you all sorts of love & tender wishes for many, many more anniversaries, when you & Cary can be together & I, near enough to secure the day & celebrate in true form. Ever since we came I have wanted to write—but the days have been impossible.
First of all—I must thank you for your dear thoughts of me at Xmas—It was just like you to look ahead & get Benham to get some thing to represent you—and I can’t tell you how touched & pleased I was—
But for dear thoughts like yours I would not believe Xmas had come—for we were on the jump so we did not have a chance to get into the glorious spirit of it. Although the people here loaded us with flowers—& Xmas greens etc. & did all they could to make it a real Xmas—
When we got back from Italy I found your dear letter of Dec. 18 waiting to welcome me—& you know how eagerly I read every word—
It was a lovely letter, & made me quite home sick for you—I have tried to point out to Cary our old haunts, & he is always so thrilled & interested—At Milan I showed him where you had to be lead down from the dizzy height of the Cathedral—
How little we thought those days of my returning with your husband! to say nothing of all the other wonderful things that have happened—We stayed at the Palais overlooking the Cathedral & that great square—& that night went to the “Scala” to a beautiful performance.
Every box & every seat crowded to the roof & such a burst of welcome from every throat—! I know Cary has kept you in touch with all we have done—& it is just so much crowded into a brief time that my brain reels. The experiences & emotions of a life time—packed inot a few weeks—Fortunately the 3 countries—FranceEngland & Italy are so different in custom, race & expression there is no danger of confusing the events which marked our stay in each—and when I get home I will probably wear you out telling you things.
Everyone you ever heard of or dreamed of is in Paris—Dick Patterson is in charge of the Crillon since it was taken over by Americans—If he had only been in charge in our poverty stricken days when he was so in love with you perhaps you would have loved him in very gratitude
Tony Lucas is here too—& every one else you can think of. Helen’s sister, Mrs. Brower, dined with us last night with a freind of hers, Mrs. Stacy—both of them go to Verdun for YMCA work.—Just here faithful old Hoover appeared & said “Here is a letter from Mary, Queen of England which I thought you might like to have—”It is a reply to my bread & butter letter—& very nice—It is evidently a custom in these old countries to reply to every letter—
I sent a note to Orlando thanking him for a wonderful piece of Italian lace he sent me & he replied with a volley in his own tongue which a little Belgian who helps Miss Benham is struggling to translate.—
Benham—bless her heart, is conducting Susie through the Bon Marché this morning—I tell her she is an angel to do it, but I think poor Susie gets very lonely as our servants speak nothing but French—though they are just as nice to her as can be, of course they can only make signs—
As to that dear Cary—I don’t know how we would do without him—He takes care of every ones troubles & stands between us & complaints of all & various sorts—He is always on hand to help & is a constant joy—I feel we are robbing you—but I know you are willing—The pouch goes this afternoon so I must stop & send Mother a line—I am so glad you, Mother & B. can see each other—they wrote me you had been so sweet to them & how they both enjoyed you—Lots & lots of love in which Woodrow joins
Miss Ede
Original Format
Letter
To
Grayson, Alice Gertrude Gordon, 1892-1961
Files
Collection
Citation
Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt, 1872-1961, “Edith Bolling Wilson to Alice Gertrude Gordon Grayson,” 1919 January 11, WWP15604, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.