... [The following is the last half of a 10-page letter.]

Now, I must tell you that Lulita & I have been so happy in an awesome way, I think, about her good fortune in being unanimously selected as winner by 4 judges in a children's literature contest where her story "Cabin at Medicine Springs" was entered by the agent. We received word that the book was sold on Feb. 13th but on April 17th 2 airmail letters came, one from Mr. Franklin Watts whose award it was & the associate editor informing Lulita that she was the winner of this prize for a distinguished contribution to children's literature. We were so happy & so excited over this news! You can imagine how wonderful it seems to us. Of course it is breath-taking for Lulita, but she has been able to keep working at the office & still do the extra things the publishing people wish to prepare for public notice after printing is accomplished so copies can be sold when the publicity breaks which we think maybe in July as Mr. Watts expects to go through Denver on his way at that time to the American Library Meeting in San Francisco & wrote Lulita to that effect. Today sister expects to mail back to them the galleys which came last Monday for her to check mistakes & make corrections. They also wanted 2 or 3 more photos as the one she sent was slightly damaged in the mail they said & they wished this time a smiling picture if possible; so sister had more taken & I think the results were fine. She is getting them printed after selecting the proofs last evening.

So we don't know exactly what is in store -- but we feel thrilled to say the least. I know you all will be most glad, too, & will rejoice with Lulita & me at her great honor & prize.

We have not considered vacation time or place except that once sister said maybe next fall would be a good time for us to attempt the long-hoped-for trip to New England to visit 2 Pritchett cousins who have urged us to come to their farm in Deep River Connecticut ever since Mother died. Mary, Leonard Pritchett's wife, has retired from being an author's agent but she is the one who sold The Shining Mountains book for Lulita. We both send ever so much love to all of you and thank you for inviting us to Billing.

Sincerely, your excited sister of our author of Cabin at Medicine Springs.

I think I should add to this long letter to tell you that the judges were: Ellen Lewis Buell, Childrens Book Editor of the New York Times; Ruth Ersted, State Supervisor of School Libraries, Minnesota; Virginia Haviland, Readers Advisor for Children, Boston Public Library; & Alice Dickinson, Senior Editor, Franklin Watts, Inc.

The Franklin Watts $3,500 Fiction Award was to be given for a noteworthy work of fiction suitable for children to read themselves. The age limits are roughly 8 - 12 -- the theme, setting, time, & situation to be of the author's own choosing.

Manuscripts are judged as to their quality & contribution to children's literature. Some criteria are: (a) Interest in this age group, (b) Genuine literary merit, (c) Plot, (d) Characterization, (e) Emotional appeal, (f) Values for today's living, (g) Added reading appeals such as Humor, Sense of adventure, Stimulation for the imagination, Sense of security, Inspiration, etc., and (h) Significant & lasting appeal.

Lulita's agent, Miss Monica McCall, entered her story in the contest before the deadline & then let us know that she had done so. The time was Aug. 1, 1957 - Jan. 1st 1958 & their pamphlet from which I am copying this information says: "We will endeavor to announce the winner by May 1, 1958." Instead we received word on April 17th which was airmail letters sent from New York on April 15th from Mr. Watts himself & his associate editor Elizabeth Abell.

When the book was sold after Feb. 13th the agent sent her check for $900.00 taking out of the $1000.00 her 10% fee, and Lulita's part Lulita put in her saving account at the First National Bank of Denver.

According to Rule 6 on the advertising pamphlet it states that: "The Award Winner will receive $1,000 as an outright payment & $2,500 as an advance against royalties to be paid at the time & place at which the winner is announced." -- so we suppose that will be simetime in July when Mr. Watts wrote he could stop in Denver enroute to or from San Francisco Library Meeting. He wrote that "Since Colorado is such a favorite vacation country this should be a good time of year." He writes further: "We very much want the publicity to break when we actually have finished books ready to sell. This is because people buy on impulse & if they can't buy something at the time, they very often forget it." So you see how wonderful Lulita's prize & honor are for her.