Edward W. Axson to Margaret Woodrow Wilson, Jessie Woodrow Wilson, and Eleanor Randolph Wilson

I have been so very very wicked and it has been such ages that since I have written to any of you that I have been sorely puzzled trying to decide which one I ought to write to first and have decided to settle the question by writing to all three at once.

First of all let me thank you for those lovely presents I found waiting for me when I returned to Mannie. Margarets book I have read but it was years ago and it is such a pretty story that I am glad of the chance to read it again—Nells book I have never read but have wanted to for a long time—and Jessies present is beautiful—if she wont take it as too personal a compliment for me to say so—I am so glad to have it for my wall.

I wish you girls could see the sight that I am looking out on now from my window—the ten oclock night cast is just being run and it is such a beautiful spectacle that I never tire of watching it—the black furnace towering above and the molten iron pouring out like liquid fire and filling the sand beds till the cast house looks like an enormous red hot grid iron. The next time you come South you must come to Mannie—do you understand—I put in my application for you now so as to be sure to have it accepted. Here is a question for somebody to answer why is the thing we are making here called pig iron? “To the one sending in the first correct answer” as the newspapers say I will send something pretty which I got in the lime quarry the other day.

I am going to send with this some views I took this fall in and around Mannie. The view of the furnace was taken from the porch of this house and is the view I have from my window. The views from the top of the furnace show you how the city of Mannie is built—on a hill—or rather on two lines of hills, the negroes living for the most part on one side of the valley, the whites on the other. The view of the Laboratory is not an up to date one for I have now had a little stone wall built along the creek and the yard nicely graded—I expect to plant grass there this winter and vines on the front porch. The “washer” is the building in which the ore is washed before it goes to the furnace. The mines are on top of the hill you see and the ore is carried down the two long chutes you see in the background by a stream of water and so into the washer. The river views which bare by far the prettiest were taken down on Buffalo River two miles from here. It is a beautiful stream as you may imagine. All the negroes but one in the baptising scene are furnace hands—they didnt know I was taking a picture and were very much astounded when I showed it to them. I shall have another picture of Prince to send you soon—I found him perched up in a wheelbarrow the other day and took a snap shot at him. We are training Prince now and he is developing into a mighty hunter—he is going to make a fine dog. As for looks he is a perfect beauty—I wish you could see him. He still keeps his puppy ways and is as playful as a kitten. Living with me he has had to learn to play pretty roughly too sometimes—I can throw him half way across a room and turn him head over heels but he always comes back for more.

I know you had a fine time Xmas—I thought of you very often and wished I could be with you once more. I spent Xmas up in Nashville at Cousin Roberts—and Xmas in that family is a lively time as you may imagine. May came down stairs for the first time on Xmas Eve—Hoyt and I brought her down between us “chair fashion”. The two little girls had just returned also, so it was a merry occasion. I am sorry they didnt get to Princeton while they were North—they wanted to very much but Lil put it off until they were called home and it was too late. The nicest part of my Xmas followed however. I dont know whether Mama has told you that I am engaged to a girl who lived up in Boston, named Florence Leach. Anyway such is the case and I am now open to congratulations from you—for and I deserve them too for she is the dearest sweetest girl you ever saw and I know you will love her when she comes to Princeton in February. Well she is playing this winter with the Fadette Orchestra, a Boston orchestra composed entirely of young ladies, and as they were to be in Illinois just after Xmas, I left Nashville Xmas night and met Florence in Pekin Ill next day. I spent three days with her going to Peoria and then to Burlington La and had a beautiful little holiday, needless to state. Well it is getting late and I must say goodnight—Please remember the Golden Rule now and treat me like you want me to treat you in the future not like I have in the past. With a whole pile of love for each and every one of you—