To Al. P. Chekhov, 30 January 1887. Moscow.
Ал. П. ЧЕХОВУ, 30 января 1887 г, Москва,
Headnote
1 A brief note of 30 January 1887 from Chekhov in Moscow to his elder brother Alexander Pavlovich Chekhov in Petersburg, following up on a letter and bill sent two days earlier concerning the newspaper "Peterburgskaya gazeta," to which Chekhov was then a regular contributor.
2 The letter is little more than a checklist of family business: confirming an earlier letter with an itemized bill arrived, thanking Alexander for his own reply, urging him to write more often, and closing with an aside that a mixup between house numbers 15 and 20 in the address may explain any lost mail. Chekhov addresses his brother by the joking nickname "Gusev" ("Goose"), typical of their needling correspondence.
Gusev! A letter was sent you on the 28th of Jan with a bill for the "Peterburgskaya gazeta." If you haven’t received it, let me know by telegram.
Гусев! Тебе послано письмо 28-го янв со счетом в "Петербургскую> газ". Если не получил, то уведомь телеграммой.
Thanks for your letter.
Спасибо за письмо.
Write as often as you can.
Пиши как можно чаще.
Your A. Chekhov.
Твой А. Чехов.
My regards to everyone.
Кланяюсь всем.
If the letter wasn’t received, it means that in writing the house number in the address I put No. 15 instead of No. 20.
Если письмо не получено, то, значит, обозначая в адресе No дома, я написал не No 20, а No 15.