Llano County, TX - Letters:  Letter from Lutie McLean Watkins to Juan F. McLean, 1906
Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Submitted by:  lab@boone.net  (Linda Barton)
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Transcribed from a letter in my possession.  Written to Juan Fernandez McLean of 
Fayette Co, Ga. from Lutie McLean Watkins, his neice.  It is written on letterhead 
of a Llano business that I will duplicate as close as possible here.

Geo. M. Watkins                                                         Office of                                                                                                 W. W. Watkins
                                                                            

                                    Geo. M. Watkins & Bro.    
                                        DEALERS IN 
                                  HARDWARE, WAGONS, BUGGIES

                  STOVES, FARM IMPLEMENTS, BARB WIRE, AERMOTOR WIND MILLS, ETC.   

                              OLIVER CHILLED PLOWS AND EXTRAS                                                                         HOUSE FURNISHING GOODS



                                                       LLANO, TEXAS, .....DEC. 22, 1906

My Dear Uncle,
    
      George and I surely had a good time last night.  Cause?   In yesterdays mail we received 
those Kodak pictures from you people and we surely enjoyed them very much.  They were so 
interesting.  Exor ought to compete for some prizes in her compositions. That one with the 
cow and Exor also where you are drying fruit and the one she sent before with the children 
are surely fine and she would get prizes for them.  She is not much for developing yet but that 
will come in time.  When she comes out here she and Mr. Sam can work together.  He can develop 
as well and better than most photographers in small places and she can get her finishing touch 
from him.  When I get strong I am going to learn to develop.  I tried last summer but could not 
be on my feet and gave it up in a few minutes.  Sister and Helen worked two whole days.  Tell 
Alice I surely think she would receive the prize for being the most beautiful woman in America 
if she'd send that fruit paring picture away to some of these magazines.  You can't imagine 
how much fun I did have over them all.  It was almost like I had taken a trip to dear old 
Georgia again only I couldn't hear your voices.  Now just send me a record of a few 
conversations and i'll get along alright.  

     Just to think, it is nearly a year since I was there with you!  doesn't time get by 
rapidly when we grow old.  I'll surely be old on Christmas knowing tis my birthday.  When 
I was a child, I thought any one my present age was an old, old woman and now I am not as 
old as I was when I was twenty five.  I'm truly glad that we do not have to get old with the 
years.

     Uncle, it is so delightful to be home with dear old George again.  Poor boy has had a 
hard time this fall.  The great suspense, expense and then the loneliness.  I am just being 
at home...George keeps the house as much as it is kept and we take our meals out.   We are 
hoping to get our girl the first of the year and eat at home.  The doctor gave me such 
dreadful warnings in regard to the care I must take of myself for three months that I guess 
i'll obey, thought it is very much against my feelings.  I'm going to be well if possible 
and I believe it is.

     Mr. Sam goes to Austin today to spend the holidays with his girls.  Christmas afternoon 
Brother and George go out for deer hunt to be gone until Friday or Saturday.  I go to sister 
Minnie's for the time.  So you can picture where we all are - Brother's little girl is the 
cutest thing you nearly ever saw.  She is so bright and sweet and loving, a regular benedicton 
in their home and the two boys fairly bow at her shrine to say nothing of dear old Brother's 
attitude.  Hope you'll write Brother a letter before long and give him some more fatherly 
advice.  He is so sweet and good and a Christian - has been reading his Bible daily since you 
wrote to him about it a long time ago, but he has never gone into the church - said his 
cussedness would crop out and he felt he would not honor the church as he ought to, but 
I think he really wants to go into it, but he thinks he should be perfect first.  I'm glad 
he has such high standards but wish he'd not stand back because of it.  He needs the church 
and it needs such men as he is and he could do so much toward helping other men if he'd take 
an avowed and open stand for he surely has a great influence over men.  I wish he'd devote 
his whole life and talents to God's service but his is strictly private.  I was in the 
courtroom at a trial of some trivial case last summer.  The others spoke in the bunch were 
some noted speaker from Austin, the jury and audience looked perfectly bored.  Brother began, 
by degrees every one began to straighten up and in ten minutes more they were leaning forward 
eagerly listening to catch every word.  Not one listless person.  Well right then I coveted 
that talent and power to be used for God and told him so if he could plead for justice to be 
given to a man in the courts so successfully that I thought God could and would use him to 
plead for soulds.  Poor dear boy!  He has had enough hardship in life to make him a strong 
character.  He'd get me if he knew I was writing so much about him, but you seem almost like 
our Father and we have always yearned for him, so pardon me for indulging.

    I pray that you may each one feel God's presence very near to you these holidays.  
    they surely are trials to those who are lonely.  

    Wish by some magic power you people could be put into my house for a few weeks.  Guess 
    the next generation will have the way in air ships and you could come with little 
    exertion to yourself were you projected fifty or a hundred years.

    Love to each and everyone 

     Love from all of us
               Yours    Lutie

Tell Alice and Exor that if their magazine does not arrive by Xmas it will shortly thereafter.  
Hope your "Santa" will give you comfort and will not be too large.  I had lots of fun making 
them while I was on my back - could neither raise my head or turn on my side -

 Again a joyous Xmas       L.......