A Woman of Independent Means Read Free

than mine.
    Now that I am again so visibly with child, I am trying to abide by convention and confine my daily circuit to our property. However, it was so beautiful this morning I could not resist taking Robin out in the surrey for a drive along Rawlins Street. To my delight there was a “For Sale” sign on the corner lot we have so often admired. In your absence I felt I had no choice but to make an immediate offer. Fortunately propriety does not prevent a woman in my condition from spending money.
    Hurry home, dear heart—to reclaim the legacy of my love.
    Ever your
Bess

    December 20, 1911
Dallas
    Dearest Papa,
    We are so pleased you will be spending Christmas with us and bringing Miss Bromley with you. She sounds like a lady of admirable qualities. I visited in Mineola several times as a school-girl but the only Bromleys I remember were girls my age. Perhaps your Miss Bromley is an older relative.
    Your namesake is doing fine. Even at the age of six weeks he has your dignified manner. He never cries, but his very presence is a command for our total attention. His older brother does not seem the least bit jealous but treats the baby as just one more curiosity in a world which has suddenly become accessible now that he is walking.
    I have been meeting almost daily with the architect who is drawing plans for our new house. Building will begin as soon as he agrees with me on the plans—early in the new year, I trust.
    A kiss until I see you.
    Your devoted daughter,
Bess

    January 2, 1912
Dallas
    Dear Mavis,
    Imagine my surprise when the Miss Bromley my father was escorting turned out to be my croquet partner of so many summers ago.
    Watching my father with you, I began to think of him as a contemporary—an unsettling but ultimately rewarding experience. I have never seen him in better spirits and I am convinced the credit goes to you.
    I can imagine the talk your friendship is causing in towns the size of Honey Grove and Mineola. To be frank, the disparity in your ages did not go without comment even in a city as large as Dallas, but perhaps that was my fault for planning an evening at the country club. Next time you visit, I expect we would all be more comfortable dining at home.
    It was a joy to see you again—and to see my father so happy in your company.
    Affectionately,
Bess

    January 10, 1912
    Received of Robert Randolph Steed the sum of $5,000 (five thousand dollars). Balance due: $14,000 (fourteen thousand dollars).
    Elizabeth Alcott Steed
    WITNESSED BY: Annie Hoffmeyer
Hans Hoffmeyer

    July 18, 1912
Dallas
    Dear Mother Steed,
    Our new house is nearly completed, and we hope you will share it. It is larger than the house where I spent my girlhood, but then Dallas is larger than Honey Grove so more is expected of us.
    My father’s marriage to Mavis Bromley has left me feeling somewhat bereft. I was still very dependent on my mother at the time of her death, and now in a strange way I feel I have lost my father too. This is no reflection on Mavis. I delight in her quick wit and unfailing good humor but there are times when I long for the advice and guidance of an older generation.
    We will furnish the guest room to your taste if you will agree to occupy it on a regular basis. You are now the only mother I have left in this world.
    Your loving
daughter-in-law,
Bess

    August 19, 1912
Dallas
    Dear Lydia,
    Your mother has become a valued member of our household, and we hope she will live here permanently. You have been a devoted daughter but it is the responsibility of a son to care for his parents in their old age, and your Manning should not be thrust into this role by marriage.
    How is business at his store? He is such an intelligent, well-spoken man, but accounting cannot come easily to a man with his literary outlook on life. Fortunately, figures have always held a poetic fascination for me.
    I hope you and Manning will visit us soon in our splendid new setting.
    Fondly,
Bess

    October 2,