Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1881-08-19)

called upon to face the necessity of increasing my in- come at the earliest possible moment. If I cannot earn more than </s I > my present. salary here, and as I am now working I do not see that I can, then I must try for a place elsewhere or go into some other business. In short there </u must > be a new deal. I </u know > that I have certain abilities which would be worth money had I a chance to bring them into action, but which I cannot use here at all. I think I am capable of carrying responsibilities which do not even touch me here, and which would be worth money to somebody. I must find a wider field of usefulness. I had hoped that the S. A. T. Exhibitions would be the means of bringing into the Establishment custom work of a high class which would by & by enable you to pay us higher salaries. I still believe this will occur, but it will not do for me to wait for it..

    A month ago Theobald shipped two boxes to us containing

5 tiger skins, 4 leopard do. (for rugs) various skins of small mammals - bandicoot rat, squirrels, bats jackal, mungoos, &e. and 1 skel. of tiger, hyana, & some small mammals. They ought to arrive in time to allow of making at least 2 rugs for the Ex. Webster has ordered, at our price, one of the best tiger skins. Will charge him somewhere between $40. & $50. for the flat skin, suitable for rug only. Now I must close. Don't let these boys know I have cared because they never let me know any about you. I have got over caring about it, so far as </u they > can hinder it. Yours faithfully, Wm T. Hornaday.