C. A. Earle Rinker letter to his mother, Dec. 24, 1907, page 1

Goldfield Nev Dec 24/07 Dear Mother: Your No 6 & No 7 of the 18 both received last night. Now I don't suppose you got a wire because I didn't send one out. Don't know what I will do with you if you don't quit worrying so. The reason you may not beget letters regularly from me may be on account of the mails. They are very irregulat here. It takes your letters all the way from 4 days to seven to reach me. I am feeling quite different from the way I did one year ago. On the evening of the 23 of Dec 1906 I crawled in bed in that old tent feeing pretty bum. I had a very sore throat. I took oil of Eucliptis & other dope to no avail. Then I tried coal oil. I got such a mixture in me sleep was out of the question. It was too cold to get up & sit up in the tent & my throat hurt me worse lying down so I got up about 1:00 oclock on morning of 24th & went uptown & sit by stove in saloon until morning. The I went up to Mac's office where I was working & they put me to bed there until the boys got a fire box in the tent. Then I moved to the tent again. Well I guess I told you before it was a pretty bum Christmasx for me last year. It is a whole lot different now because I am feeling good even (over)