Key West

Dec 26

Dear Max:—

We’ve been here a week—in the new house—plumbers, carpenters, nurse sick, and a citizen in the front room typing all day on this manuscript— Hoped to have it done to send you for Xmas but he will certainly have it done for the first of the year— I hate like hell to end it—could write on for another year easily enough— or is it well enough; or maybe just write on for another year handles it.

Started this in bed—bad throat back—this is really going to be the hell of a fine house; the lawn is coming well, figs on the fig tree, coconuts on the trees and plenty of limes.Will plant more limes and coconuts.Wish you could plant a gin tree. Young Patrick filled the mosquito sprayer yesterday with mosquito dope, tooth powder, talcum powderwhile he was supposed to be taking his nap and sprayed his little brother thoroughly—he woke up and cried loud enough to attract attention before it killed him—Patrick spraying manfully the harder he cried the more spray he received. “Did you want to hurt your little brother?”

“Y e s,” said Patrick, very scared.

This rotten throat has filled my head so full of pus that the brain won’t work, so enough of this letter. Hope things are going well with you.

Would you ask them ie. retail department to send one of those monumental quail books to Karl Pfeiffer 249 Heywood Avenue, Orange, NJ. and one to me here and the last two Will James books Sun Up and Big Enough I think they are to Bumby,