Ruth is happy that she has finally got a week’s pay, but in reference to another visit, Dave is concerned that she’s working the night-shift and she gets defensive. Mrs. McCreedie has asked Ruth to move out. Dave writes that he’ll find a way to visit her Sundays for any length of time, it didn’t matter as long as he got to see her.
February 12, 1935
Tuesday 3:15 a.m.
73 Brookline Avenue
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
Not that I.O.U. or anything, but I thought I might as well be answering the letter from you which I haven’t received yet as doing nothing.
What time did you get home yesterday morning? Take it easy now, anything you say is apt to be used against you. So is it Ruth who always keeps the crowd out late? It sort of looks like I’m not guilty. Lydia says to ask you which five hours seems the longest, the five before or after I go to work. You should be ashamed of wasting time as you do. Oh yeah, I should like to take this opportunity to remind you that I said several weeks ago that you wouldn’t be able to depend on me after I got to working. I hope you don’t feel that you have to come up Sundays if you don’t want to. I realize that it can’t be so pleasant for you to have to wait until Fran gets ready to depart. Please don’t think I don’t appreciate your coming up to take me out on Sundays because I do. I have had a lot of good times with you kids, but nevertheless I don’t like to feel that I am a joy killer. If you decide you don’t want to bother with me, don’t be afraid to say so. By the time you wait for me to go to work, the best part of the evening is shot and there isn’t time to do anything before I go to work. I guess that is about enough said and I hope I make myself clear, if not come back later.
Guess what? Yeah, I got my first whole week’s pay today, and am I proud of it! I think I’ll have it framed or sompin’, it may be the last I ever get. The supervisor was here this morning after I left. I went down to school tonight to give her some money. I asked her what I was doing wrong and she said they told her I was doing fine. Imagine my surprise, I didn’t know there was such a thing as pleasing a Jew. The daughter told me tonight that if I hadn’t done ok, they wouldn’t have kept me.
I got my pin back tonight and I think they have it fixed so it will stay put this time. I hope so anyway. They told me to be sure and not let David Coffin get ahold of it again (at least I think that is what they said).
I forgot to tell you what a narrow escape you had when you were splitting wood. I read in the paper where a man was chopping wood and got the axe mixed up in his whiskers and cut his leg. How is that for a tall story? I bet you are scared now and will never attempt cutting wood again.
I got more sleep Monday than I have had since a week ago Monday. Lydia says I would say so anyway, but it is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me _____.
We are supposed to go to a shower for Mary Thursday, but I can’t go. Wouldn’t that be just my luck?
How about you and I making a little compromise? I won’t say much against Middleburg, if you don’t say anything against Adams Center. Please sign on the dotted line.
Signed: Ruth J. Parker
………………………………..
Detail of the handwritten letter, Feb 12, 1935
February 14, 1935
12:15 a.m.
73 Brookline Avenue
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
So you were tired Monday night? That is what you get for not going home earlier. I hope you make it clear to your mother that I am not responsible for your loss of sleep. Nice girls don’t stay out after 9 p.m.
Yeah, I saw and heard you when you went by Monday morning. If you saw anyone moving around it, must have been me. When you went by you must have brought me out of the fog, because I suddenly decided to go down and have my lunch. Lydia didn’t think you went by, but when I told her what time it was, she looked sort of surprised.
So you don’t like Florence’s method of handling Ben? I think she has the right idea and maybe she can tell me how to make it work. The truth is I would get the worst of it. What she wants isn’t a boyfriend but a slave. It is hard to feature anyone being quite as soft as Ben. You had better start feeling sorry for yourself instead of Ben I think.
Someday I’m going to get mad and put this confounded pen in the furnace. Every time I pick it up I feel like swearing.
So Fran doesn’t love me anymore. He had better go easy on what he says to me because after all, my disposition isn’t so sweet of late. He sure was crabby Sunday night and if Lydia doesn’t let him smoke, it will be just too bad for someone. Personally, I think it would be a good idea if you quit smoking, but if it makes so much difference in the disposition, I think I won’t even mention it. What do you think?
About being on a day case Sunday, there isn’t a chance I don’t believe. I am getting used to night duty now so probably they will keep me at it for the next few months. Wait a minute and console yourself. I didn’t say I intended to stay on night duty for five months. However, it could be worse, they might suddenly decide to put me on twenty-four hour duty. Of course I’m not suggesting it or anything.
My patient is doing very well, thanks. Something tells me I will be here at least until my week is up, which isn’t until Monday morning. They may decide to keep me still another week. I sort of hope they do as it is an easy case and the people are nice.
I sure did get a good laugh last night and I had to enjoy it by myself. The lady friend was supposed to take a pill, so I gave it to her and gave her some water. She doesn’t like to take them very well and this one was quite large. She finally said it was gone but I thought she was spoofing so I decided to watch her. Just as soon as she thought I wasn’t looking, she let the pill fly way around the room. I says to myself, “listen, baby, don’t try to pull a fast one like that on me”, so I took another pill and just naturally gave her water until it was gone. I even made her open her mouth to make sure. Even then, I wasn’t absolutely sure, so I covered her hands up and parked beside the bed for about a half hour. Every time I think of it, I feel like laughing. I guess I was in no humor to be made a goat of.
The doctor says her condition is improved and maybe she can sit up in a chair Saturday. You certainly have to hand it to that nurse of hers. Who says I love myself?
Mrs. McCreedie decided all of a sudden that she doesn’t want to rent that room, so it looks like I have to be looking for a new abode. I don’t care a darn, but I don’t see why she didn’t tell me before when I wasn’t working and could have looked for a room or taken an apartment with some of the other girls. Now I don’t even see any of the girls. She was the one who suggested that I stay there in the first place. I am going to try and get a room nearer school so I can save my car fare. I’ll probably be better off if I don’t stay there. After all most of the dogs in Albany are located on Brookline and there may be a chance that I will get a room where I can’t hear them bark.
Joe Cuffy II, c. 1950’s; named after the original Joe Cuffy of the 1930’s.
I should like to meet the cat that helps you write the letters. If I had Joe Cuffy down here, I would bring him down to Middleburg and you would think a wild cat had gotten loose. I wonder what a tame cat looks like. If you would like to make a fighter of your cat, bring him up sometime and I’ll give him a lesson or two. My mother says Joe acts more civilized when I’m not around.
Lydia tells me that she has suggested that Fran be in Albany by 3:30 p.m. Sunday and take her back to Preston Hollow. I suppose that includes you. She said she wasn’t sure as Fran might have other plans. I hope if we get down in that country that the old Essex is all set for a non-stop flight back before nine o’clock.
Don’t forget to tell Francis you want to see his valentine for Lydia. She didn’t have a chance to get him one so I decided to be a Boy Scout and do a good deed so I stopped at the store this morning and purchased it. I spent about an hour of my valuable time trying to find the darn thing. Oh yeah, I hope you didn’t have to invest another three cents to get that one Lydia sent you. Don’t tell Francis I stopped to get the valentine for him because he might feel flattered. The reason I stopped was to get some for the kids at home.
Did your brother find the lipstick on his tie? I hope he makes you buy him a new one. He shouldn’t let you take his ties anyway because you aren’t careful of them. The idea of not keeping it in where it belongs anyway.
Something tells me that I crave calories and the madam is snoring so I see no reason why I shouldn’t go down and have something to eat.
It is now 1:40 a.m. and I suppose you are having a swell snooze, “Lucky Bum.” I bet you never stayed up all night and wrote to me.
If I don’t quit writing, this will sound more like a diary than a letter. I bet by the time you have finished pondering over this, you will need your glasses changed.
My eyes won’t stay open any more.
“Stubby”
February 15, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
Haven’t much time to write this as I expect the mailman any minute.
Have been working in the woods this morning and it was late when I got to the house this noon. Your letter was here and I’ve just got to answer it and set your mind at rest concerning one thing in it at least. You can rest assured that as long as the Essex will run and I have money enough to feed it, I’ll be in Albany to see you on Sundays. It wouldn’t make difference to me if I couldn’t see you for more than an hour, I’d be there just the same because I enjoy being out with you, probably a lot more than you enjoy going. So I’ll see you as usual Sunday, Stubby. I haven’t seen Fran to talk to him since Tuesday morning so I hadn’t heard about coming to Preston Hollow. However, if that is the program, we will be there about 3:30. If that is too early for you to get ready, we will wait for you because the car just simply wouldn’t run unless you were in it.
I’ll bet you do feel proud of that full week’s pay, but you had better not put it in a frame because I think there is a law against hoarding money.
There is a lot more I could write about but the U.S.M. is coming now so I’ll have to quit. I’ll do better next time.
Dave