Ruth writes from home and reports the birth of twins to Kent Spencer (Lydia’s brother, Ruth’s cousin) and his wife, Ethel. She also cared for her newborn niece, Shirley (see previous post), and worried about whether the infant would survive. She returned to Albany and had a visit from Dave, who joked about slipping and falling on ice. Twice.
January 1, 1934 [actually 1935]
Adams Center, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
I am sorry not to have answered your letter before but I always seem to be busy. I haven’t studied at all since I have been at home and there are still two examinations to look forward to.
Thanks very much for the present. It looks too pretty to use. I am glad it wasn’t a kitten. You should see my hands and face. I look like the worst of it. The first day I was home Joe scratched me in both eyes. He is the roughest cat I ever met.
June was all for helping me write this letter and I had to convince her I could manage without her assistance.
January 2
It is now twenty-four hours since I started to write this letter. If all goes well, I plan to finish it by the end of the week.
I found out today what time the bus gets to Albany. There are two, one of which arrives at 4 p.m. Sunday and the other at 1 a.m. Monday. Not being in the habit of getting in after twelve o’clock, I think I’ll be in Albany on the early bus. Maybe I can’t get back because of the snow. I don’t think there have been any buses through from Syracuse to Adams today.
I had a letter from Lydia and Ruth Distell today and I take it they have a little snow in Florida.
I think the kitten has had a visitation of the devil. I took an inventory today and find that I have two dozen scratches on one hand, only some of them aren’t so large but nevertheless he gave them with good intentions.
Three days of last week I spent at Lydia’s brother’s. They had some twins born the night I got home. One of them died and the other one stands rather a poor chance.1 They have a registered nurse but she has to have sleep so I seemed to be the next best thing. I suppose I could have stayed longer but somehow it wasn’t my idea of a vacation.2
Jeanne Spencer, 1951
I suppose I have to forgive Lydia for letting me down since she had so much on her mind about Christmas time. She was very particular about giving me advice as to when I should retire.
My Ford has been in dry dock ever since I have been home. Bill drove it to work one day and a man hit him, thereby curling a fender, busting a wheel, spring, bumper and a lot more. I could have driven it but I was darned if people were going to blame all that on me. I guess it will be all fixed tomorrow so I can get it (if there isn’t too much snow).
How is Fran? I suppose he is more dazed than ever, if it can be possible.
I sure dread leaving home. It will be harder than it was at first because then I didn’t know I was going to stay. I bet it will be a relief to the folks when I leave.
The kitten, after scattering about fifty marbles over the landscape, has decided to take a nap. I guess I’ll bring him back to Albany to furnish a little excitement. He even tackles the dog.
I have an appointment for nine o’clock in the morning to give my sister’s baby a bath. Me thinks I’ll hang up and get my required amount of sleep so I can keep the appointment. I hope the poor baby survives.
I’ll be seeing you all of a sudden (if the weather permits).
Ruth P.
P.S. Unless the roads are too bad or I miss the bus or something, I’ll be in Albany about 4 p.m. Sunday at 350 Broadway.
January 7, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
Your snowbound letter reached me today. There were still a few flakes of northern snow clinging to it when it was handed to me. By the way, in case you haven’t heard of it yet, one week ago today marked the end of the year 1934 so in the future it would be more proper for you to head your letters 1935.
Well I guess that is enough for me to write in the way of sarcasm or what have you.
I suppose you have been calling me all sorts of names for running away with your glasses but it wasn’t done intentionally. I didn’t discover I had them until this morning. When I awoke that was the first thing that came to my mind and I had to get up and look in my overcoat pocket to make sure. I did a hasty job of getting them in the mail before I went to work and I hope they arrived safely.
I took a bath today but it was purely accidental and involuntary on my part. We worked on the ice until 6:30 tonight and we were using car light to see by. Just as we were quitting I slipped on the edge of the channel and did I get a good wetting. That water sure was cold. Now go ahead and laugh.
How does it seem to be back in school? I suppose you are hard at work absorbing more heavy words.
It seemed good to see you again last night. I’m sure glad you arrived before we left for home. We were all wondering where you were and what you were doing and it was some relief to see you coming up the street.
Well, Ruth, I’m going to make this letter rather short due to the fact that I am quite tired tonight and strange as it may seem, a little sleepy. A certain young lady kept me out so late last night that I didn’t get in until 4:15 this morning.
Yours truly signing off for tonight and I’ll be seeing you Sunday.
Dave
January 8, 1934 [actually 1935]
73 Brookline Avenue
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
I am attempting this in class so pardon the pencil, paper and errors. We just gave each other hypos so I’m not responsible for what I write.
Will you please let me know what size shirt Francis wears. I guess Lydia wants to get him one for his birthday. I was supposed to find out Sunday night.
Do you have on or about your person a pair of glasses which does not belong to you? I hope you have. Nearly every lady in class has asked me where my glasses are and was my face henna.
I gotta eat, so don’t forget the shirt and specks.
R.J.P.
More love,
“me”
(P.S. I meant to tell you if I am still working Sunday night, you are supposed to come here first and call me at 2-5220.)
January 9, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
Just received your letter and while I’m waiting for dinner I might as well answer it.
This is hardly fair making me write two letters in one week, but I’ll get even with you some way.
You can tell Lydia that Francis wears a size 15 shirt. However, if she gets one that is preshrunk, I think it would be best to get a 14 ½. It has always been my experience to find that in getting a preshrunk shirt it should be a half size smaller.
So that was what all the whispering was about Sunday night. I remembered on the way home that you were supposed to ask me something and I wondered what it was.
So someone else missed those glasses besides yourself. Well, I suppose you have them by now. If you haven’t, let me know and I’ll start turning the post office upside down.
I seem to have a failing for falling down this week. Went outside this morning to get some meat out of the ice box for dinner and coming back both my feet went out from under me and I landed in a sitting up position holding a platter of meat safe and unharmed. Mother opened the door when she heard the noise and did she laugh.
I hear her calling me to dinner now so I’ll have to stop and feed my face.
Dave
Footnotes
- Infant mortality rates were still quite high in 1935, about 5% nationwide, with much worse rates among minorities. FDR founded the March of Dimes in 1938 to combat polio. After the vaccine became available in 1955, they focused on combating the #1 cause of infant mortality, preterm births. By the year 2000, the infant mortality rate was 6.89 per 1000 births, or about 0.7%.
- Twin daughters, Jane Elizabeth and Jeanne Isabel (see photo), were born on December 23, 1934 to Kent and Ethel (Tryon) Spencer at Adams, New York. Jane died the following day, December 24. Jeanne died on May 27, 2015 at the age of 80. She was a mother and homemaker for much of her life, and also worked alongside her husband, Guy Seamans, in their Seaman’s Meat Cutting business in Copenhagen for many years.