San Diego Calif
June 5th 1898
Miss Annie Cochran
McConnelsville
Ohio
Dear Sister and folks at home
I received your letter about 5 weeks ago also the bib you sent the baby was very nice. Edna put Velma in short clothes today for the first time and she looks twice as large and she is very near large enough to play with now and is awful cute and looks now like the first pictures Beulah or Fannie I can’t say which but is the one that was taken in the little rocking chair. When you write tell me which one it is. We haven’t had Velma’s picture taken since the one we sent you but expect to soon and will send same home. John gave me one of his pictures the other day and it is splendid of him. Enclosed you will find a picture of Edna taken when we was trying to get a picture of Velma in the rocking chair but Edna was the only one that was taken.
I have been working in a commission house for the last 3 or 4 months and the more I know about the business the better I like it. I get to the store 6:45 a.m. and start out to canvas the city trade and then go to the 9a.m. train and get what business that comes in and then canvas the city trade again and at 1 p.m. I meet the Northern train to get what comes in and canvas the city with it and again at 4 p.m. So you see about what my work is every day and not a minute to waste as there is three other commission houses in the City and we all _____ for what trade we can get. To give you an idea of what I sell in one day I will show you what I sold 6/4-1898. 2500 bx strawberries 300 bx blackberries 10 bunches bananas, 300 10 lb bx of cherries 25 bx cumuts and about 30 bx rhubarb. This is an average days work. Strawberries 8 cents per box Blackberries 8 cents per box Bananas 2.25 per bunch Cherries 60 cents per box Cumuts 50 cents per box and Rhubarb 70 cents per 33# box _____
John was down for dinner last Sunday.
Love to all and don’t wait as long as I do to answer letters.
As ever
MA Cochran