[speaks of his mother, "But wherever my mother goes she surrounds herself with the same Chinese embroideries and books and delicious tea and personal charm and a troup of original sons and daughters, and calls it a home. How foolish of her!" He also mentions meeting a friend of hers, Fleischner, the new French master; hearing Billy Phelps preach Sunday with four references to Browning and three to Ibsen; refers to his "eternal theme corrections" as a teacher; and urges her to enjoy a long convalescence by reading lengthy works such as the letters of Madame de Sevigne or the novels of Richardson]

[writes enthusiastically about the acting career of her sister, mentions the novel L' Histoire Comique by Anatole France (1844-1924), literary editor of Le Temps , about the "wings of the Second Theatre," and promises next year to share with her some of his favorite readings, "certain pages where Paul Valery explains why literature so often flourishes about courts and aristocracies (not after all a hard thing to explain) instead of about the sweet noble lives of republics and self-governing villages." Thornton also writes out a few bars of music and refers to hearing [Fritz ?] Kreisler (1875-1962) play several musical pieces and critcizes his handling of the last movements]

[thanks her for her words of congratulation over his literary success, explains why he used his colored pencil to write to her, "For me, you'll always be something of the one-year-old that I first knew, so I write you with my colored pencil, reserved for children." He also promises to come over to visit her and her father and talk plenty of "theatre talk."]

[informs her that they are about to set out for her house and are thinking of her with a lot of love, sends some clippings for her to read, and says, "Our 'Little Town of Bethlehem' will be for you."]