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Keams Canon, Arizona
Jan 23, 1898

My own true loving little wife,

Yours received & glad to hear from you. I received the calendar all right and much obliged, also the slips. The one on the kitten is nice. I sent you the little clock I got in Chicago. It is so small that is doesn’t keep good time. It gained so much had to turn it back every night. I tried to fix it, and now it doesn’t run. So I wish you would take it to a jeweler, and all he has to do is to fix the hair spring. Tell him it always runs too fast. It probably won’t cost more than 25¢. Ask him, when he has the works out, to clean (2) the face of clock and you can keep the clock for your self. Don’t send it back. I have sent to Chicago for a larger one.

I am working on my 25th picture now. Finished an awfully pretty picture of a Moqui girl in wedding costume. I am painting now the little fat Moqui girl.

Yesterday, Saturday, I finished my picture at noon, so after dinner I went on top of the Mesa to see a dance. They danced for two days from sunrise to sunset, and you ought to have seen that dance, my dear. It was fine. Some 30 Indian men, all dressed in the queerest costumes, all different, and each one held a long stick in his hand with feathers & stuffed birds on the end. The musicians, (3) two of them, had Tom Toms and they all sang such weird songs and danced in time. Then there were four other dancers, two men & two girls. The two men were in front and had such a funny costume on ,sort of a sheep’s head and face painted black all over, with little shiny things stuck on their faces. And the two girls were just behind them, who had the most gorgeous costumes on I ever saw on an Indian. All of it is made by the Moqui. They had their hair tied over their eyes, and the dance they gave was beautiful, such a queer step. They kept time with their hands and also to those 30 Indians who were singing and beating the two drums. I never had anything impress me more, (4) only unmarried girls dance in it and they dance for half an hour. When the dance first commences the two youngest girls on the Mesa, that are old enough to dance, dance first. Then so on, all day for two days, until the oldest that are not married dance. They do this for rain, etc. One ought to live up there to see all that is going on. Pretty soon there is another dance here, they dress up like animals down in the keva. I want to paint ten more Moqui, then I will leave here. I couldn’t stand it to live here, it is too dry for me. Makes me so nervous, just like St. Paul & we are having lots of cold weather. I will be glad to get to California (5) when I get through with the Mojavas, which is the next place am going to. I will go to Los Angeles and south of there to some Indians called Mission Indians. I will be some time in California.

Thurber wrote me he sent you $24.92, wish you would always let me know when you get money I have sent you. $4.92 of it is for your mother.

I don’t understand why you don’t get the Jan. Art Amateur. You haven’t said one word about it, should think the interest you have would want you to get it.

I have a nice place to board with the matron. She is a nurse and for several years worked in a hospital, and her house is most neat & clean as can be. She has (6) subscribed to a small magazine called the Indian Helper, published by Indians xxx sent you it, only cost 10 cents a year, please keep them all. A fine cook, pay her $20.00 a month board. If it hadn’t been for her I would have to have hired an Indian man to cook for me.

The Moquis are the worst thiefs I ever saw. Every thing in my room has to be locked up. All my wood, I have to have it brought into the house. I caught one of them trying to steal a tube of paint, and I gave him thunder, told him if he got a bit of that paint on his hands he would drop dead. You ought to have seen him wash his hands. I gave him soap and water. He will tell the others, so guess they will leave my paints alone.

Well, I must close & go to bed. Good night darling. Your own true loving husband.

Lots of love, hugs & kisses,

Elbridge