Mrs. Ben Lefever lived in Erie, the port city on the south shore of Lake Erie and a center of commerce and transportation in northwest Pennsylvania.
Erie is in the farthest corner of northwest PA, closer to Buffalo, NY, and Cleveland, Ohio than it is to Pittsburgh, PA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie,_Pennsylvania
In August of 1922, Mrs. Lefever received a postcard from her friend, Bernice.
Bernice, from her message, appears to be “Mrs. Richards”.
Bernice mailed the postcard from Corry, a small city in Erie County – about 32 miles southeast of Erie.
Corry was developed around the many railroad lines that converged on Erie.
In the early 20th century, Corry boasted a large railroad locomotive plant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corry,_Pennsylvania
The face of the postcard bears a lovely scene framed by pink blossoms.
The sky and the blossoms contain pastel shades that suggest happiness and serenity.
Beside the colorful drawing is a long, printed legend entitled, “Friendship’s Greeting”.
“The reason why I’m always glad
To have you somewhere near
Is just because your friendship is
A thing I hold most dear.
While friendships can be classified
In many ways you see
You’re just the very kind of friend
I want my friend to be.”
I do not recognize a publisher, but the postcard is from the “Greeting Series No. 368”.
On the reverse, Bernice has inscribed the date, and then signed “Bernice” and Mrs. Richards.
It is possible that Bernice is a related person or associate of Mrs. Richards, but it also likely that Mrs. Richards was not sure that she and Mrs. Lefever were ready to relate on a first-name basis.
Mrs. Lefever seems to have appreciated the gesture of friendship as she preserved the postcard throughout her life.
One hopes that she and Mrs. Richards enjoyed many years of friendship and postcard correspondence.
