DEAR NELLIE: Your nice little letter, so jolly, confiding, and free,

The postman (the handsome one, Nellie!) brought early this morning to me.

And, darling, I really and truly, in all my acquaintance with you,

Never had such an elegant treat, dear, as I did while reading it thro'.

O Nellie, I wish you were with me; you never can guess all the larks,

And the scrapes that the girls have at school here quite eclipse all our fun in the Parks.

There's lots of nice fellows in town, too, and some of 'em awfully "squee,"

And one, in particular, (must I confess?) is terribly sweet over me.

He's tall, dark, and then he's so handsome, and, O, such a fellow to train,

I met him that evening that papa came over, you know, in the rain.

He sends me bouquets and the choicest of Reymot's best chocolate creams,

And (Nellie, now is n't he horrid?) he "hopes he 'II be near in my dreams."

You should see the letters he writes me, O, so fervent and loving, you know,

How he'd tear up the mountains to win me, and - (Do, Nell, stop laughing now so!)

Of course I don't care for his nonsense, still it passes the time away here,