Handwritten letter from Dr. George R. Starkey in Washington, D. C. to his daughter, Gertrude Starkey Pitcairn. Embossed seal with the word “Extra” in the center pressed into the upper left corner of the first page. As Starkey is Gerturde’s “accepted lover” and she is “greedy” for his letters, he must cater to her appetite. On Sunday, he spoke with Mamma and prepared her “to recognize the changes which evolution necessarily brings about. So that, if she should fully realize the state of your affections at present, it will hardly distress her.” He told Mamma that Gerturde was experiencing “a new found love for her father” and the spiritual reasons for it. He explained that something similar would soon happen with George as he begins to draw upon his mother for the “feminine element.” To his surprise, Mamma said she had already seen indications of this, and so Starkey expects that, rather than being distressed to recognize the “true state of things,” they will both look upon the changes taking place as normal and orderly. He believes it is much better if the “infant state of one’s womanhood” is “cherished for a time in the nursery of her natural home” rather than being immediately overtaxed through marriage. He notes that Pauline confided in him instead of Mamma about her “little affair with David,” and he wonders if this is an early indication of a similar development in her as in Gertrude. He suspects Gertrude might be upset that he ran up to see Mamma in “Delphy” (Philadelphia?) on Sunday without her, and he promises to make up the time with her next week. He is glad she could hear Mr. Pendleton last Sunday. He suggests that she show these letters to Mamma, and he wonders what she (Gertrude) thinks of her “grey-bearded lover.” Names mentioned: George (George G. Starkey), Paul (Pauline Starkey Wells), David, Mr. Pendleton (W. F. Pendleton) Places mentioned: Delphy (Philadelphia?), Wallace Street