NEW YORK CITY—The taxi cab drivers in Boston are almost as observing as they are in New York! As I got out at the hospital yesterday afternoon my man looked at me rather searchingly and said, "Aren't you Mrs. Roosevelt?" At my nod, he proudly continued "I knew you from your photographs," a compliment which always appalls me, as most of the newspaper photographs are not very flattering.

Franklin Jr., and I had a very quiet afternoon and evening. He started me off telling him stories about the various members of the family whom he is too young to know anything about. After a while he remarked, "I think families are the most interesting things in the world," which of course is true, for in the story of every family is the stuff from which both novels and eventually history is written.

Dr. Tobey who is looking after Franklin Jr. begins operating at 9, so he told me to be at the hospital by 8:30, and therefore I began my day with breakfast at 7:30. The waiter who brought it in greeted me kindly with "How's the boy?" And I was glad to be able to say he seemed so much better that I was going back to New York today to see what I could of two other children who apparently are starting for Seattle in a very few days.

I flew over to New York and had a very smooth trip in a big American Air Line Ship. Just as we could look down on the Palisades we struck several little pockets of air apparently, we had several good hard bumps, but there was so little time left before we reached the air field that nobody seemed to be disturbed. A kind acquaintance, Mr. George Baker, who happened to be on the plane, took me home in his car and we crossed the city downtown, trucks were all about us, great activity in all the little shops and on the sidewalks. I know so little about business that it always pleases me when my observations are confirmed by someone whose opinion is really worth something. Mr. Baker remarked, "look at all this,—there is no question about it, but business is much better."

After leaving my bags, I went uptown to do a little shopping and make a few arrangements as I wanted to see a friend at the hospital before going up to see my daughter and her children.