ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL TO MABEL (Hubbard) BELL The Hotel Foeste, Sheboygan, Wis. Friday, March 13th, 1896. My darling May:

Here I am in Sheboygan. I made a public address this evening upon the education of the deaf — and tomorrow morning I examine the little school here of 7 pupils. Left Milwaukee at 1:45 P.M. Mr. McCurdy left at the same time for Chicago and Beddeck via the C.P.R. — so I am now alone — barring Mr. Spencer who accompanies me upon this tour. Glad to receive a letter from you just as I was leaving Milwaukee.

If you still intend to go to Baddeck about the first of May —perhaps I had better go directly to Washington and defer my visit to Baddeck until that time. I want to see as such as possible of my father and mother this year — and feel that perhaps it might be wiser for me to pursue my original plan. Could leave Detroit about the end of the month and spend a week or ten days in Baddeck returning to Washington before meeting of National Academy.

Then we — or you — could go on to Baddeck about first of June — only I must be in Philadelphia July 1st to 10th.

Too bad to have my laboratory experiments in Baddeck stopped. If it was not for the Switch which Mr. Ellis is now at work upon I would have him go right up to Baddeck and go on with experiments with Mr. McCurdy. If you don't go up before the first of June — then it will be necessary for me to run up to Baddeck myself to straighten 0006 2 out of the flock.

With Mr. McCurdy in charge the records will be kept O.K. I have no doubt — and then it would only be necessary for me to run up after the lambs are all in — to give them their permanent numbers — and make selection of young rams.

The sooner this is done the better for the lambs! don't want to wait till May if it can be helped. The lambs should all be in by the second week in April.

Write to me, care of Mr. Robert C. Spencer, Milwaukee, what you think I had better do.

Your loving husband, Alec. Mrs. A. G. Bell, Washington, D. C.

Odds and Ends. P. S. Sheboygan is known as the “Three C city” (cheese, chairs and children).

Little boy entering drug store forgot what it was he wanted. Clerk called out — “Here is a little boy who has forgotten what he came for ” — “That's it” said the little boy “ Camphor”!

Joke: “What made the fly fly?

The spider spider! (spied her)”

0007 3

When I was examining the Milwaukee school I puzzled a boy by asking him following question: — “How old were you when you were born deaf ?!”

Chairman of School Board in Chicago had been accustomed to speak of the Deef and Dumb — but observing doubtless that I always spoke of “the Deaf” — he got mixed up on the matter — and throughout lunch referred many times to the Sub-committee as “The Deef and Deaf Committee.”

Mr. Rosenthal visited Kendall Creen and asked one of the pupils to tell him the name of the Capital of Illinois. Answer. “Chicago” — whereupon the teacher, correcting the pupil, told him it was Jacksonville!! Mr. Rosenthal had to correct the teacher and say “Springfield.”

A.G.B.