Rebus Letter Sent from Doting Aunt to Nephew on 3rd Birthday, 1917

Boston, Massachusetts, 1917. Very good. Toned, letter folds. Tears to envelope including larger open tear, stamp missing.. A playful birthday message in the form of a rebus letter, send in February 1917 from "Aunt Alison" to her three-year-old nephew, Elwood Williams III. It begins, "Ellwood [sic] Dear: 2-Day is your Birthday- and U R 3 years old. That means that 3 years ago you came 2 stay with Mother and Father - and U were only a tiny little baby..." The remainder of the letter uses pictures to replace words, including: an eye; a bee; a boy; a train; a book; a trumpet; and presents. The content is particularly charming, as it shows the aunt's love and her musings on what he will be when he grows up: "What shall U do? Shall you drive a [train]? Or shall you play on a [trumpet]? Or shall you teach little [boys] and [girls] out of a book?" She ends with promises of presents. Written in large letters to help the little boy read (probably with the aid of his parents). Very sweet. Letter written on letterhead of Boston's Gardenside Bookshop. Bifolium (8" by 5"), housed in original postmarked and hand-addressed envelope measuring 4" by 5" Elwood Williams III (1914-1982) became a respected State Dept. employee and expert on U.S.-German relations following WWII. Williams joined the Foreign Service in 1940, was assigned to Winnipeg, and then served as a Navy officer during the war. He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1948, and returned to the State Dept. where he spent the remainder of his career assigned to the Bureau of German Affairs. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1945, and received accolades throughout his career for excellence in service despite his physical limitations.