Ellen Axson Wilson to Woodrow Wilson

I am glad you have had such a pleasant evening at the Fines. I am glad West and Dulles are still in town too. I hope you see a great deal of them all. I wish too that I could communicate to you my feeling about the Conovers so that you would enjoy them as I do; for they I know are in town. I can't help believing that you would enjoy them if you took the pains to know them, that is to get on easy terms with them.

It is still a grey day but several lighter shades of grey than on the last two days, and it has not rained today. I think it is going to clear. There is to be a flower parade today in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Swampscott, so the weather is of some importance. We are starting out to see it in half an hour.

We took a walk this morning, not on the beach for it was high tide, but among the villas above. I saw one very beautiful house in the style of ours but much more elaborate, and the chimneys all except one were perfectly plain square chimneys, yet they did not look badly. One rose from the outside of the house and was made from bottom to top of large pebbles, so to speak, such as those we brought home from Gloucester. It was most picturesque. All the stone work of the house was of the same sort. The stone chimney too was plain and square. It suggested to me that perhaps we could do very well without “stacks”; almost anything would do that rid us of the stove-pipes. But I think if we have plain ones they should be like those here,— very plain;— to differentiate them in some way from the ordinary type. Those here are plastered over like the house. You will find that book of Mrs. Aikens,—the English homesteads,—on the library table. Suppose you look it over and see if you get an idea. I can't tell you how glad I am, dear, that the work is going so well. It is the best thing I have heard for some days, it makes me very happy. With dear love to all & with a passion of love for my darling. I had to close hastily to get this mailed, for it is time to go to the pee - rade.