Mrs. Carrie Smith lived in St. Louis.

Her sister, Vio, was visiting Cousin Leslie in Chicago.

In September of 1921, Carrie received a postcard from Vio.

Vio reports that she is “having a nice time” but has decided not to stay another week as Cousin Leslie had urged her to do.

“This place is dead”, Vio pronounces.

She adds, “too much dirt for me”.

It may be that Vio had traveled to Chicago in hopes of recovering from some personal disappointment or set-back.  

Perhaps Sister Carrie and Cousin Leslie had hoped a change of scenery would inspire her.

(I am trying to be sympathetic, as the sentiments of Vio are foreign to me. My cues are taken from Samuel Johnson who, when hearing that a contemporary reported to be “tired of London”, was shocked.) “Tired of London?”, Dr. Johnson retorted, “to be tired of London is to be tired of Life”.)

One feels sorry that Sister Vio found so little pleasure in a growing city of fabulous public museums and entertaining amusements at the beginning of “the roaring twenties”.

The postcard sent by Vio is a hand-colored “Nature Study” entitled, “Birches on the Lake”.

The original art was published by the Henry Heininger Company of New York.

Perhaps the soothing natural scene was more pleasing to Vio.