1896
USA, Canada
October 5th, 1896
Parker House, Boston
My Dear Harry,
I dare say your thoughts often run to this country and to Father in the midst of his travels and difficulties. I am often thinking of you and the dear ones under your roof. You will no doubt have seen my letters to dear mother so you will have gathered from them how I getting on. P.F.'s business in this country as you knew before I left had died out and to revive it is without any doubt the most difficult and trying work that has ever fallen to my lot and many many times have I wished myself home at the work I have been engaged in for last 2 or 3 years. The great difficulty is that H&P have had a smart young fellow here with a free hand who for the last 3 or 4 years has been pegging away planting certain choice kinds of their goods among all the high grade trades so that when I come to it is to find a good business running in English biscuits. P.F's name stand as high as H&P's in this part of the world and I have been around and sometimes when I have given a card the merchant has said – O yes we sell a nice line of your goods and has trotted me to the cracker dept. and shown me a pile of H&P's – when I have noted this to him he has again looked at my card and said O yes I see – but we used to handle your goods but you gave up drumming and your trade soon gave up P.F. H&P's dinner biscuits are the great favourite in 28 [?] tins. I have urged them to make a biscuit to meet this and suggested the Pearl for shape and if they can make it I could do a large business and have told them
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