L. C. Hyde lived in Lowell, Michigan, within the household of Will Condon.
(We met members of the Condon family in an earlier postcard story, “Huldah is Busy at School”.)
Lowell is a city on the Grand River, about 15 miles east of Grand Rapids.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell,_Michigan
In February, L.C. received a postcard from a friend who had been traveling.
The friend, whose name is difficult to decipher, mailed the postcard from Lowell – but writes that he had reached Belding and was about to return home.
It appears that he mailed the postcard upon his return.
Belding is a city, larger than Lowell, that was a center of silk-making in the early 20th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belding,_Michigan
The city has preserved one of the large, handsome dormitories that was built to accommodate the hundreds of single women that were employed in the silk factories.
The Belrockton Dormitory
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55242
The face of the postcard is an illustration of a couple in an embrace.
The inscription, “It’s Hard to Get Away in Belding, Michigan”, suggests that the lovers are reluctant to end their tryst.
It may be that the humorous drawing of a prolonged farewell may be related to the large number of single women that a visitor would encounter in Belding.
One hopes that Miss Hyde was amused by the postcard and that she extended a warm welcome to the traveler.
