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Sunday Ganado, Arizona
Dec 5, 1897

My own true loving little wife,

I am working on my 11th picture now of a Navajo squaw with her face painted and she has a Navajo dress on, etc.

You ought to see the things Mr. Hubbell has given me. he has given me two more rugs which makes 6 in all and yesterday he gave me about twenty pieces of rare old pottery, no telling how old, beautiful in design & shape. Then he gave me two large water jars made of some kind of mud and also gave me 300 or 400 garnet stones in the rough, which I enclose one to you, Katie mxxx, Axxx xxxx Mxxx & your Mother. Also enclose two for you to send to Lillie. (2) The Indians find them here in the mountains. They are pretty when cut and some of them are expensive.

I wish you would send me for Xmas a pocket book, my dear. The kind I have to carry silver and change in. Don’t get a cheap one as they don’t last any time, pay anyway 50¢ for me. Let me know what the Xmas presents cost you and I will send you the money. It has been pretty cold here lately and glad I had the overcoat sent to me.

In a week from today I will go to Moqui. I will probably be there 3 weeks, then will go to the Needles in California where the Mojave Indians are from. Then I will go to the extreme southern part of California for the Yuma Indians. And then to the Pima Indians where they make beautiful baskets like the large ones (3) Uncle Ed has in his house, that he has on the floor. They can be bought cheap.

Mr. Hubbell would like to have me stay here all winter. I subscribed for the Chicago Record, seems nice to get it, but gets here only once a week, though alot come at once. Mr. Hubbell takes at least 50 different newspapers. He is a perfect crank on politics. He is a Republican and how he does like to have some Democrats come here and argue. During the election he quits his business here and goes around making speeches & nothing pleases him more than to repeat to me some speech he has made years ago. The poor fellow doesn’t see anyone to talk much to as very seldom anyone comes here, but when they do (4) he makes up for lost time. He was born in this county and has seen some wild days. He used to be a gambler in early days. He says one week he lost $30,000.00 gambling, but says he never drank or smoked in his life. He makes lots of money here trading and dealing with the Indians. He has four children, three of them are east to school and the little boy called Roman is here. He speaks Navajo & Spanish fluently and only a few words in English.

Well, my dear, I must close now and go to bed. Goodnight darling your own true loving husband.

Lots of love, hugs & kisses,

Elbridge

P.S. Address me at Keams Canyon, Arizona via Holbrooke, Arizona.