We met Mayme Pulcher in several postcard stories; Mayme received many postcards from “Tom” who sent her postcard views from various places in the upper Midwest.
I once believed that Tom, the faithful correspondent, was a suitor – because he mailed a postcard almost every day for a period of several years.
Recently, however, I learned more about the life of Mayme – including the fact that she never married.
Mayme Pulcher lived in Grand Rapids, a prosperous center of manufacturing, publishing, and commerce in south central Michigan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan
In August of 1907, Mayme received a postcard from Essie.
Essie mailed the postcard from Chicago.
The face of the postcard bears an original painting by J. W. Crane entitled, Off Block Island”.
In the painting, sailing ships (and a rowboat of seamen) strain against the wind and tide.
Block Island is an island in the coastal archipelago – nine miles south of continental Rhode Island.
The island is a popular summer resort for sailing, hiking, bicycling, and swimming.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_Island
The painting was copyright by the artist in 1905 and published by the National Art Company of New York.
In the tiny margin below the print, Essie has written, “Your niece in law is coming to dinner Friday”.
It may be that Essie is the “niece in law” – meaning that she would be the wife of Mayme’s nephew.
Mayme’s father ran a successful business in Grand Rapids, so it is likely that Mayme was able to set a nice table for her visitor.
One hopes that the visit was accomplished as planned and that Mayme and her niece remained friends and correspondents for many years.
