ABSTRACT
In June and part of July of 1907, Ellen Veblen received daily letters from Babe Bevans begging her to give Thorstein Veblen up, according to Mrs. Millis. Babe's letters were lengthy, but all harped on the same theme; they urged Ellen to be unselfish enough to release her husband for the greater good of humanity. Ellen referred to Mrs. Bevans as "cheap" and "a horrid thing", and she said a friend wondered how a scholarly person could care for Babe. Ellen began assembling her dossier of "positive statements". After which, she put out feelers toward Thorstein, offering to return to him "on certain conditions". This was to stave off a divorce suit he was preparing, which he was likely to win on the grounds of her extended desertions. Thorstein was not at all enthusiastic about Ellen's proposal that they be reunited.
