Toppenish, Wash • Jul 26 – 08
Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 19th inst. I have started to keep bachelors hall with two others this week. Mr. Reindollar and Mr. Walter Myers from Huron, SD, and another man will probably join us in a week or two.

We rented a house for $5.00 per mo. and 3 of us were paying a total of $22.00 per mo. for a room each week. Mr. R. and I are boarding ourselves. We do not know just how much it will cost us, but we expect to save more than half. The man who owns the house left us a good stove.

We made a table for 69¢ and a bunk each. Mine cost 25¢ for the lumber and I wove some string and rope across for a bed spring, the same as you fix the chair seats. Then I lay my quilt across double and put a sack filled with underwear, etc. for my pillow. When it gets colder I am going to get a woolen blanket from Montgomery and perhaps another quilt.

We made an ice box out of a large box and a small one inside of it, and the space between packed with sawdust, and a cover over each. We bought a few dishes and cooking utensils. I bought about a half cord of wood — blocks and pieces left over from building a house — for 50¢ and it cost 50¢ more to have it hauled.

I did not have any work for a week or 10 days — except a promise of some — but am working now and the prospects are very good for the future. I have not heard whether I will get that contract or not but probably will in a day or two.

The town in getting very busy now a days. They are shipping considerable fruit and hay tho not near as much as they will in about a month.

They are going to build two new school houses here besides the one that I am figuring on, and have just started a 2-story hospital and 2 more brick blocks.

When the reservation is opened there will be plenty of work I think. We do not know just when it will open but it will probably be within 8 mo.

Please send the August C&B when it comes. Hope you have sent the Building Estimator book I sent for.

Your loving son,
W.J. Buswell

I will enclose 55¢ to pay for the photos and for postage on the papers you send out.

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Note: I wonder what the “C&B” periodical publication is that Will mentioned. Doesn’t seem likely it would be “Crosse & Blackwell” outside of the UK, does it? Or “Callard & Bowser’s” — all I can think of at the moment. Put it on the list: #needsresearch.

Also curious: where’s Kate during this time? I had thought they went to Toppenish together, but clearly, she’s not there with him in 1908.