Dear HittyGirls,

I arrived in Austin, Texas today, after a very rapid trip from
Maryland. This is a very zigzag route I am taking on this trip - back
and forth across the country! I will rest up this evening, and then
hear from the Austin Hittys about their plans for my visit. I was
greeted cordially by Hittys Serena, Capability Brown, Cherry Fung, and
a busy group of Bittys. I will have a tour of their home later, but
just now I will chat a bit with my hostesses then retire to the room I
will use for a good night's sleep. I am already grateful to have
removed my travel clothes, and am relaxing in a gown and bed shawl
provided by Hitty Mom Elaine.

I expect there will be pictures to share soon, and more messages about
my adventures.

Good Night,
Hitty Nellie Bly

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Dear Hitty Friends,

We have been very busy here in Austin, but Mom Elaine has taken some
pictures, and found time to help me with my journal entry. I will
include some pictures with emails, but we will put all of them in the
folder on Yahoo.

I did get some much needed rest after my arrival. I relaxed with
Hittys Capability Brown, Jan, and Cherry Fung in the bedroom they had
prepared for me.

They told me about their recent trip to Guthrie OK,
and Capability read to me from the Guthrie diary. After that, I had a
good night's sleep.

--------------------------

 

Here I am in my new dress.

Hitty Serena accompanied me upstairs to put on my new dress. It is a Judy Brown pattern, intended to look like our Ancestor's dress. The flowers and the blanket stitch trim match my eyes, and could make me feel quite vain! Hitty Serena is modeling the first dress for Gale, which suits her. She may need a similar dress of her own!

After our modeling session, the Bittys invited me to see their room and their new dresses. Bittys Connie, Olive and Erin are just the right size for the bed, and often play in their room. I was pleased to meet Hitty Guthrie, who is also hoping for a new dress! She, however, must remain in her Guthrie cowgirl outfit for the moment, as she will be going to the doll club meeting to be part of the program on "Cowboys and Indians."

 

 

I also visited the Nursery, where Bitty Sara introduced me to Hitty Tyeckson and Raggedy Peg, who take care of Teenie Connie, Teenie Hardt, and the other baby size persons.

 

They have small beds, a cradle, and lots of toys.

 

After meeting the Little Girls, and seeing their rooms, I was invited
to the Boys' Attic.

They have the whole attic room to themselves, and
I declare it does look as if it has been inhabited by adolescent boys!
They have just had a new arrival. John DeBois arrived the day after I
did, and he immediately made himself at home. Joey is still wearing
his leather Harley jacket from Guthrie, but I did hear him mention
that it is becoming a little warm for leather. Captain Mercury seems
to wear his uniform whatever the weather, but George and Harry Potter
seem like sensible friends for John, and I am sure he will be
comfortable here. The Boys don't go out as often as the Girls, but
they have a quantity of junk food, pets, and toys up here, and seem
happy.

 

 

After visiting the attic, I went over to the Small House, and met Miss
Hickory.

She is an interesting person, and has settled into a quiet
indoor life, sharing the house with Ms Ozarka Butternut. I admired her
patchwork quilt made from autumn leaves and her cow picture on the
wall. She says she is about to be ready for spring herself, but does
not plan to graft herself onto an apple tree this year. She kindly
lent me her book about Groundhogs, which she reread recently in honor
of Groundhog Day. I believe groundhogs in Texas must have not seen
their shadows, as winter seems to be almost gone!

 

fter a full day of visiting and journaling, I will retire again to my
comfortable bed, and allow Mom E to insert the pictures in the Yahoo
Travel Album. She hopes that Yahoo is on its good behavior today!

I will continue to chronicle the places I go and people I meet, and
hope that you will enjoy this final stage of my travels!

Faithfully,
Nellie Bly

 

Dear Hitty Friends,

I am preparing to leave Texas. Hitty Mom Elaine has moved my travel
basket into the living room of the Hitty House, so everyone can help
me, and I have changed back into my sturdy brown travel dress. It
promises to be much colder in New York than Texas, where it was 92
degrees last week!

All of the Hittys here have been watching the political scene with
interest, as did HST in Dallas, and I am particularly inspired to
think that the United States may actually have either a woman or an
African American president! That would have been unthinkable when I
made my first trip around the world. In fact, I was not even allowed
to vote, then! I would love to go to the caucus this evening, but Mom
E says that it will be much to crowded and hectic for such a small
person. I have also met a number of dignitaries lately, and have
interviewed them and had pictures taken. Mom E will get the pictures
out as soon as possible, but says it may be next week.

I visited the Austin Doll Collectors' Society meeting last evening,
and received a warm welcome. The members were inspired by my story,
and they immediately decided to buy a "club doll" to travel among the
members. Unfortunately, they are not yet all converted to Hitty
lovers, and chose a larger vinyl doll, but perhaps once they enjoy the
experience they will adopt the ORIGINAL travel for a new club doll.

I will climb into my basket later today, then go to the mail bus
tomorrow morning, so although I will miss the Austin Hittys
dreadfully, I look forward to seeing Hitty Sojourner Truth and Ms Old
Crow again before I travel to my final home.

 

Dear Hitty Friends,

I have met some very distinguished people here in Austin, and recorded those meetings pictorially for you.

Mom Elaine will be sending them to the list after I have gone on my way, because she will be out of town right after I board the postal bus.

First of all, I met Mr. Stephen Foster, who composed the song for which I was named.

He wrote many other songs, and was kind enough to tell me that I was much more attractive than the original "Nelly Bly." He seems to be a true Southern Gentleman.

I then met Mr. David Crockett. He was another Southern Gentleman, who represented

Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the age of 49 at the Battle of the Alamo.

 

After meeting meeting two such historically eminent (and tall!)men, I
was pleased to meet two lovely women.

Aunt May and her baby represent the Mormon Pioneer women who traveled
across the plains to settle in Salt Lake City. They were truly brave,
and followed their religious leaders to live their religion. Aunt May
told me she had been proud to see a Mormon candidate for the
presidency, even though he has been defeated.

I met a family of carved persons, who are Native Texas.

They are
Cowboy John and His Lady, and his little brother Bubba and sister Sis.
They were carved here in Austin in the 1980s by Ms Nancy Grobe, a
talented carver who had to give up carving because she developed
arthritis in her hands. The family lives in the Doll Cabinet, because
they are out of scale for the Hitty House, but they expressed
admiration for the many Hittys they have seen.

 

I was so surprised, I dropped my pen!

Hitty Janci presented two Red
Indians to me! I was informed that these days they are referred to as
"Native Americans" but when they were made about 1939 they were just
Indians. They were made in by the WPA Michigan College Toy Project.
They lived for many years in a teacher's classroom, but were well
taken care of. They explained to me that they seem to have been made
using an Edith Flack Ackley pattern, but painted with oil paints
rather than embroidered. I am not familiar with these patterns, but
they assured me that some of you are.

 

While I was meeting people, Mom E was also packing her tubs of dolls
to go to the Doll Club Meeting.

Because she was presenting a program
on "Cowboys and Indians" Hitty Guthrie and Hitty Pocahantas were going
along.

Hitty Guthrie is taking her guitar, as she intends to portray a
Singing Cowgirl, and Hitty Pocahantas took along her Guthrie Papoose
and her Indian canoe from Lancing Michigan.

 

After she introduced me to all the dignitaries, Hitty Janci suggested
that we should climb into my travel basket, so that we might be packed
up to go to Doll Club.

We found the basket a snug fit for two, but
when the two are friends, it is cozy.

 

 

The presentation on "Cowboys and Indians" was interesting, and I was
very impressed that not only were Mom E's dolls set up for her talk,
but other members brought about 20 - 30 dolls. They were set up and
presented by their owners, and provided more elaboration on the
examples Mom E presented. I was proud to see Hittys Guthrie and
Pocahantas, and John DeBois in their costumes, in the front row of the
display.