Letter Sample

February 12, 1912

Dear Herold,

I hope the new season is greeting you well, as too I hope this letter finds you. I hope you do not mind these personal letters from me, but the odd events of my day have me wanting to put words to paper, and your understanding of our current situation has led me to believe you are an appropriate recipient for my account of these events.

Several months ago, I was foolish enough to let slip a story about a French Queen who was said to burn sage in order to ward off disease and evil spirits. Though I may have had a few drinks at the time, in retrospect, I should have known better.

I didn't think much of it until today, when a caravan arrived at our inland village, having journeyed all the way from a port town to fulfill a request made for a large quantity of French Sage. A few villagers (understandably) directed the merchants to my residence, on account of my being the only European many of them have ever laid eyes on. Needless to say, both I and the merchants were throughly confused, as orders of sage - especially from France - are rare, and I of course have no use nor affinity for the spice. It took us several hours to sort the whole ordeal.

As it turns out, a local from a nearby village had heard my story second-hand, and decided to place an order with a foreign trading company. I have yet to understand why any trading vessel would accept such a request, but alas they had, and misinterpreted it at that. Instead of 5 bundles of sage, the caravan arrived with 50.

In the end, I bought the remaining 45 bundles as a sign of good faith, and a token of a future business relationship. I also negotiated several other trades with the merchants, including a perpetual supplies trade, which I envision being lucrative in the long term. Still, in the present I now need to find a way to get rid of an excess of sage - something I've neither dealt with nor desired to deal with thus far in my life. Although I hope to have solved this dilemma by the time I receive your reply, I look forward to hearing any insight you have on the matter. I always appreciate your unique thoughts in these situations.

I shall spare the rest of this page, though I plan to write you again in several day's time regarding our mutual interests.

Until then, I wish you well.
Take care,

James