A Letter From Ned

Dear Brother Lex,

Thank you for relaying news of my miraculous survival to our mother. I knew that you could handle that job!

From the postmark you'll notice that I'm writing you from up in Canada. I have been in a hospital, just got out. The telegram I sent was a bit misleading, in that I claimed to be unqualifiedly (if that's an English word) "all right."

The fact of the matter is that one could hardly have escaped whole cloth. A couple of wet and freezing hours in the old Atlantic O., with a broken leg--I should say a crushed leg--complicated matters to the point of an amputation of the offended limb. Just above the knee, don't you know, not anything tragic--and at least it was the left appendage instead of the right, like poor old Billy Bones! Now, Billy and I can be mirror images.

"How's your right stump, old Bill?"

"Tolerable, old Ned. How goes it with your left stump?"

For G__'s sake, don't show this note to Randa or Mother, or anybody. Sorry to run so graphic.

The upshot is, when I finally get down to your neck of the woods, it could be quite a shock to the family. I count on you to inform and prepare everyone for the sight of a somewhat diminished,

But still your faithful bro.,

Mycroft Edward Dahl, Esq.
23 May 1912