Very truly yours, JUDD & JUDD. Per Q. BEVERLEY SANDS TO "JUDD & JUDD, PER Q." _July 18._ DEAR SIRS: I am greatly pleased to hear that you have no connection with any other house doing business under the firm-name of Botany, and I accordingly feel willing to risk giving you the following order: That you will make a collection of the most highly prized varieties of Kentucky ferns and ship them, expenses prepaid, to this address, namely: Mr. Edward Blackthorne, King Alfred's Wood, Warwickshire, England. As a guaranty of good faith and as the means to simplify matters without further correspondence, I take pleasure in enclosing my cheque for $25. You will please advise me when the ferns are ready to be shipped, as I wish to come down and see to it myself that they actually do get off. Very truly yours, BEVERLEY SANDS. CLARA LOUISE CHAMBERLAIN TO BEVERLEY SANDS _Seminole, North Carolina, July 18._ DEAR SIR: I met with the melancholy misfortune a few weeks ago of losing my great father. Since his death I have been slowly going over his papers. He left a large mass of them in disorder, for his was too active a mind to pause long enough to put things in order. In a bundle of notes I have come across a letter to him from Burns & Bruce with the list of ferns in it that they sent him and that had been misplaced. My dear father was a very absent-minded scholar, as is natural. He had penciled a query regarding one of the ferns on the list, and I suppose, while looking up the doubtful point, he had laid the list down to pursue some other idea that suddenly attracted him and then forgot what he had been doing. My father worked over many ideas and moved with perfect ease from one to another, being equally at home with everything great--a mental giant. I send the list back to you that it may remind you what a trouble and affliction you have been. Do not acknowledge the receipt of it, for I do not wish to hear from you. CLARA LOUISE CHAMBERLAIN. BEVERLEY SANDS TO JUDD & JUDD _July 21._ DEAR SIRS: I wish to take up immediately my commission placed a few days ago. I referred in my first letter to a mislaid list of ferns. This has just turned up and is herewith enclosed, and I now wish you to make a collection of the ferns called for on this list. Please advise me at once whether you will do this. Very truly yours, BEVERLEY SANDS. JUDD & JUDD TO BEVERLEY SANDS _July 22._ DEAR SIR: Your letter to hand, with the list of ferns enclosed. We shall be pleased to cancel the original order, part of which we advise you had already been filled. It does not comprise the plants called for on the list. This will involve some slight additional expense, and if agreeable, we shall be pleased to have you enclose your cheque for the slight extra amount as per enclosed bill. Very truly yours, JUDD & JUDD. BEVERLEY SANDS TO JUDD & JUDD _July 23._