Ruth has been working the night shift for a patient who is suffering from advanced dementia; the location of this job seems to be outside of the city. Dave has been busy with farm work since it’s berry season.
July 29, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
My dear Ruth,
Nine P.M. and I’m ready for bed but since there is no rest for the wicked I must put aside all thoughts of sleep and write this letter. How’s that for a beginning? Sounds as though I didn’t want to write doesn’t it? That’s not the case though, just some more of my crazy ramblings so pay no attention to it.
I got home last night just as it started to rain so if you happened to look at your watch then you know more about it than I do! Maybe it didn’t rain where you are and you will say I didn’t get home, but it rained plenty here and was still pouring when I got up, but by the time I got to work the sun was shining and it has been quite a decent day. I stopped in Greenville for coffee last night as my eyes were getting the best of me and I had to have something to wake me up.
I’m awfully glad you didn’t go home Saturday, Ruth, even though you would much rather be there. Please promise not to make any sudden departure if your job should give out without coming down to P.H. for a few days. That isn’t asking too much is it, dear.
I hope Mr. Crocker (is that right?) didn’t throw you out last night for going out with your brother. I can just imagine how Loretta told him that. I’ll bet you were tired when morning came and you probably still are if you got up and worked for Loretta this afternoon.
Did I get a laugh this morning at the breakfast table. Mother said Rose (the girl next door) was up here all Sunday evening. When she first came she said to LaVere, “Where the h____ is Dave?” The best part of it was the answer he gave her. He said I had gone to Albany to get my clothes pressed. It must be that even he has noticed what a good job you do of pressing. Rather cute don’t you think? Anyway, I still say you are so much nicer than her that there is no comparison. She is going back to the city next Sunday so I won’t be bothered much longer.
I’ll probably go to Preston Hollow tomorrow night so I’ll stop and tell Lydia she is mistaken about you owing her a letter and tell her to write to you at Madison Avenue. Here’s hoping this letter doesn’t get up there for a day or more before you get it.
My neck is still a little sore but I think it is getting a little better. If I get any more ailments, I’m going to take to my bed and put in a call for a nurse. Do you know of one I could get? And speaking of bed, makes me think I could use a little sleep, so here goes.
Good night.
Dave
July 29, 1935
6:15 p.m.
349-A Madison Avenue
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
I just got up about an hour ago and Loretta has taken herself off with Ed. It sure is lonesome here alone. My sleep was good today aside from being disturbed several times by the girlfriend. She says she isn’t coming in until 10 a.m.
I guess she had quite an exciting time last night before I came in. I know I put in some night after I got in. She sure was wild, her son stayed up with me all night and it took both of us to keep her covered. She pulled a button off my uniform and once her hand came up quick and took me on the lower lip. I guess my tooth must have made it bleed. I suddenly decided to take my glasses off before they got knocked off. The only way we could keep her covered was by sitting on the bed clothes. I was glad he was here.
Today she has rested all day and taken nourishment. She seemed a little brighter tonight. It is hard to believe a person as frail as she could have so much strength. The doctor was here today and he says she won’t get better. Her son told me that she was 82 years old so they can’t expect too much.
How is your neck? If it doesn’t get better, you had better see a doctor. Whether your brains are in your feet or not, I still say your neck is a bad place to have something like that. I don’t want you to get sick now because at present I am busy. You might accommodate me by at least waiting until I get through here. Being as how you are one special friend of mine, I would take care of you for $30 a week, other people I charge $25.
There were times last night when I thought I wasn’t going to be employed much longer here. Several times she stopped breathing for a half minute or so at a time and her pulse was so weak I couldn’t even feel it. I suppose you get tired of hearing about people being sick all of the time, but if I didn’t write about that, I don’t know what I would write about.
When you see Lydia, tell her she owes me two letters. You can also tell her that I don’t think I’ll write to her anymore because when I was down there, she told my mother I wrote long letters but I never said anything. Tell her I’m like an elephant, I never forget.
Loretta said she thought I would never get back last night and I told her that I told you she was waiting for me and the response you gave me. She says just wait until she catches up with you. She wanted to know why we didn’t go to a show and I told her we didn’t have time. You should have heard her laugh. She seemed to think that was pretty cute.
The first Monday or Friday night I’m not working you and I are going to run the station while the three musketeers go to a show and Ed and Loretta are coming down to see us. I’ll get a big kick out of watching you make sandwiches. If you have to make any toasted ones, I might help you scrape the bread.
Mrs. Mack called today and said I didn’t have any mail. I guess I’ll have to hitchhike to Albany Wednesday afternoon to get my letter. I’m going to give this letter to Ed and have him mail it from the city. Not that it makes any difference because you won’t get it until Wednesday anyway, but I hate to walk across the road and put it in the mailbox. Nope, I’m not lazy, just hardly able.
They have a couple of cats out in the barn so me thinks I’ll go out and get acquainted with them. Anything for excitement.
Mercurochrome medicine bottle
Did your mother get the mercurochrome out of your pants?1 I am anxious to know. I suppose if they are wrecked all because of me, I’ll have to buy you some new ones. Don’t forget to bring your suit up and I’ll see if I can’t manage some way to get it cleaned.
Talk about your big-hearted people, I just went out and cleaned Loretta’s and my shoes. I had to do something to pay her for washing my uniforms.
Gee, I certainly feel sorry for Mr. Crocker. He is a bachelor and his mother is about his only interest. It is a shame when a person gives up their whole life for a parent. When the parent is gone, they have nothing left.
It is funny to be awake at night and listen to people snore. I have heard more different kinds of snores in the last seven months than I ever did before in my life.
It just dawned on me that I have broken a promise to you. I told you I wouldn’t write to you this week, and here I am doing it.
The doctor was supposed to call tonight. It is 11:00 o’clock and he hasn’t called yet.
I suppose just about now you are taking a nice little snooze for yourself. It must be swell to live a life of leisure like you do. Here I am working my fingers to the bone nights while you sleep. There ain’t no justice.
The patient just woke up and asked me why I didn’t go to bed. She says it is too bad for me not to get any rest and I should lie down beside of her. She shouldn’t make such suggestions, I might weaken all of a sudden and take her up.
What time did you get home last night and were you sleepy? I guess I should be ashamed of keeping “my baby brother” out so late. Loretta is going to write and tell your mother that you are in bad company and she fears you will be led astray.
Ed was in for a minute today and he says we are too hilarious to be in a house where anyone is sick.
Every day I have a new name. Today it is Margaret, about tomorrow it will be Hortense or Thelma.
Somebody said once, when you have nothing to say, don’t say it. So there is nothing left for me to do but draw this epistle to a close.
“Me”
July 31, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
In about two more hours the month of July will be gone for another year so I’ll end it with a letter to the sweetest girl I know. Of course it won’t be anywhere near as nice or as long as the one I received from you today. Long letters are beyond my ability these days. Maybe when the snow begins to fly and I am sitting around doing nothing, I’ll be able to catch up with you. Last winter I thought the time would never come when I would have anything to do, now I think I would enjoy doing nothing but eat and sleep for a week or so. This berry racket is getting on my nerves. They are coming so fast now that I have to go out every night after work, but I think this week will be the heaviest. Francis bought ten quarts last night and Lydia canned them today.
I told Lydia she owed you two letters and she said maybe so but for you to write just the same. I guess she wrote to you today so you will probably get that a day ahead of time. Ralph and Jo went down there tonight. Jo wants to know when we are coming down, but of course I couldn’t tell her.
If you are still working Sunday, I’ll come in after you sometime thru the day and bring you out here so when you get thru in the morning go to bed and sleep until I get there. Of course if you have some other plan outlined in the letter I expect to get the end of this week, I’ll do as you say if I can. Tell Loretta I’ll try and be a little more considerate of her the next time and try and get you in earlier, that is if she doesn’t get too tough with me. If she does, I’ll just have to dump her on the floor again and she might not land so easy next time.
Gee, you must have put in some night after I left. I guess there isn’t much chance of you going to sleep on duty as long as she is like that. I’ll bet you said plenty of things under your breath that wouldn’t have sounded so nice if they were heard.
I forgot to tell Lydia that you weren’t going to write to her because of what she said about your letters. Anyway, I don’t agree with her. I’ve never had a letter from you yet that wasn’t interesting and that’s more than can be said about my letters. I’m almost ashamed to send this out, it is so short in comparison with yours. If I could write to you as much as I think about you, you would have a steady job reading letters. But that can’t be done so this will have to do for now.
So long till Sunday.
Dave
July 31, 1935
349-A Madison Avenue
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
I don’t like to be pessimistic or anything, but I think we are going to have a hard winter this year, so here goes material for starting fires.
It is 3:30 p.m. and it got so darned hot upstairs I couldn’t sleep. Such a life, but still I like it. Two nights to go and I will have completed my work.
Last night and today have been terrible. She talks continually and we have to be in there every minute or she tries to get out of bed.
August 1st, 4:40 a.m.
Wow! What a night and believe me I’m not sorry it is nearly over. I bet she hasn’t slept a half hour all night long. Loretta relieved me from 12 to 2 so it hasn’t been as bad as it might have been if I hadn’t had any sleep. She talks all of the time and reaches in the air for nothing. It wouldn’t be so bad if she talked sense, but it is all riddles. I guess I’m getting the jitters or something. The doctor said to give her a hypo and double the dose, but we hate to do it because we are afraid it will put her out. He laughs at us and says what’s the difference, she will go anyway. He isn’t a bad guy at all, in fact I sort of like him. The other day he attempted to put a cricket down my neck. He says I should be a farmer’s wife. He seems to think I could make a hit with Milton as he likes slim girls. He asked me if I ever slept and Loretta told him I couldn’t sleep because I had to get up to see him. Don’t get alarmed though, ‘cause he has been practicing some 25 years so he is slightly older than I. You see it pays to get on the good side of doctors as there is a chance it might mean more work.
Gee, what this country air doesn’t do to one’s appetite. At 3 a.m. Loretta and I were eating hamburgers. I drink about a quart of milk a day and I’m nearly as much of a pie face as you are. I’ll be big as a house before I get away from here. I eat about four times in 24 hours.
Mrs. Mack called and said I had a letter, but I told her not to bother sending it as I didn’t know how long I would be here. Marian Moore was over to see me. I was sorry I wasn’t at home. I’ll have to call her some day.
Miss Harrington called me for a case Tuesday. I called back and told her I couldn’t take it as I was busy. If I hadn’t been busy, she wouldn’t have called. I should worry. If I wasn’t here, I would have gone home anyway. I told her to take me off register.
I don’t know what to tell you about Sunday. I guess I’ll have to wait and send you another letter Friday. I have no idea how long I will be here. She may last an hour or a week. We can’t tell a thing about it. If I am still here Sunday, I think I will work a few hours for Loretta Sunday morning and let her sleep, then she can work for me Sunday night. You can plan to be here at 10:00 our time and then you won’t have to get up so early. I will sleep at Lydia’s and you can catch up on your sleep during the day. If you have some work to do Sunday morning, do it before you come, but don’t get up too early. Sleep as long as you can. If you aren’t here, I will try and get a little sleep.
How are your chickens? I hope they get better. It is a shame to lose them now.
The darned mosquitos have nearly devoured me alive. My legs are all bumps and do they itch. By the way, I doped out what happened to your neck last week, and I didn’t do it either ‘cause I didn’t see you. Pardon me while I laugh! I bet it hurts you to think you will have to wait until Sunday to come back at me for that last crack. Didn’t I tell you to go easy on the necking, but you wouldn’t listen to me, and I’m supposed to believe that only one night did that to you. What a girl she must be. Your story is possible, but not probable. More darned fun, more darned people killed and more darned baby carriages tipped over. Trouble, trouble, trouble. All I have is trouble. Everything happens to me.
I guess I’ll sign off and leave you to tear your hair until Sunday when you will, no doubt, even the score.
Just “Me”
P.S. Be a good boy and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!
Footnote
- Mercurochrome was synthesized from brominated fluorescein and mercuric acetate. Its antiseptic properties were first discovered in 1918 and was commonly used as a first-aid antiseptic for cuts and scratches, etc. The original formula was thought not to contain any “free” mercury after purification steps, but in 1998, the FDA reclassified this compound from “safe” to “untested”, citing potential mercury poisoning, virtually removing it from all shelves in the U.S. This was likely the “red ink” that was mentioned in earlier posts here and here to treat Dave’s various sores and injuries. The fluorescein in the mixture is what made up the red color. Click here to see a full description of mercurochrome (1932).