Dave and Ruth are looking forward to their marriage, though they do not yet have a wedding date. Talk continues about purchasing land for a gas station to be run by Dave and Francis.
April 6, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
My Dear Ruth,
Here goes my last sheet of paper. If I don’t think to get some before it is time to write you again, you might get a postcard.
I’m not nearly as tired as I was last Monday night. Mom called me as usual this morning but it was raining so I didn’t get up until 8:15. By that time it had stopped raining so after I had absorbed some calories, I went to work. We didn’t start until about 10:30 so the day wasn’t so long, although we tried to make it longer. This afternoon three of us were working about a mile above the main bunch and none of us had a watch. We were so wrapped up in our work that we put in 35 minutes overtime before some kid told me what time it was
Fluffy is much improved today, hon. She has eaten a little and walks around. She even insisted on sitting on my lap tonight. I wasn’t very anxious to have her though because of the obnoxious odor of her breath. Maybe she will be in shape for you to see next weekend. I’ll get her some cat food tomorrow night in M.
Fran and Lydia were up tonight. He wants me to get some screws for his tool chest. He couldn’t get them in P.H.
Ward Coffin, Frances (Erbacher) Coffin, and their two children, Gilbert (1940-2002) and Delores (1938-1956).
Ward and Lena were also here tonight. They just went home. I don’t know what they came for because they didn’t say anything.1
Gee, it seemed good to have someone riding home with me last night. Most of the talk was about the proposed gas station. I’m almost afraid to try and find out about the land for fear we won’t be able to get it. Even if we do get it, we don’t know where the money is coming from to build and equip the station. It’s fun to build air castles anyway.
Gee, sweetheart, will I be happy when we can get the day for the wedding. It’s hard to make myself believe I’m lucky enough to have a girl so sweet and true.
It is 9 P.M. now and I have run out of words so I’ll sign off till next time.
Goodnight, my love.
Dave
April 8, 1936
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello Honey,
I just got back from downtown. I didn’t have much to go down for so I wasn’t gone long. Loretta went over to the dentist and I guess when she is finished there she will go over to Schermerhorn’s. I had to get me some embroidery cotton and hoops. I bought Lydia a shoe bag and some dishes. Oh, yes I did get you something this time. I needed another pants hanger for my other skirt so I bought you four. Maybe that isn’t enough but I had it doped out that you needed three for your suits and one for your light pants. If that isn’t enough, I’ll get you some more. I tell you I am getting the pants hangers for you but the truth is I am protecting my own interest. You see, I realize it won’t be many more months before I will have to be responsible for your press and that is one good way of preserving it. There is one other but I won’t bother to go into that now.
I guess Zelma is coming over tomorrow afternoon to help me on my spread. I have quite a lot done but it doesn’t make much of a showing as there is so much more to do.
Last night Loretta set the alarm on her little clock for 7:30 so she could go to eight o’clock Mass this morning. The darned thing went off at 4:30. Was I burned up. That wasn’t enough, the wind rattled the storm window all night.
Loretta and I looked at a couple apartments today. One of them wasn’t so bad. It was $6.50 a week with everything furnished. We might have to have an extension put on the telephone but that wouldn’t be but $1.50 a month. Loretta and I both have reached the point where we would rather not eat than go to a restaurant. It costs us $1.50 a day to live anyway. Loretta says she is going to suggest to Mrs. Hewitt that we get our own meals here. We will furnish our own food and pay a dollar more a week for gas. We get our own breakfast and do our work anyway.
Mrs. Hewitt just called and she tells me she has the three doilies I told you about. They are tatting and are awfully cute. I paid $1.50 for them but I think they are worth it. Gee, I’d rather get things for my cedar chest than eat. I think we have nearly two dollars in our dime folder again. I’ll figure up and see how much we need for our dishes. For a service of eight, the nearest I can figure is about $6.50. Of course I may have made a mistake on some of the prices but eight dollars ought to be enough anyway. If we want to make it a dozen after a while, we probably can get the same pattern. I think it is an open stock pattern.
Gee, honey boy, I’m awfully anxious to know what we are going to do. It will be swell when I can see you every day. We may have sort of a hard time getting started and no doubt everything won’t be a bed of roses, but at least we can be together and that means everything. I would hate to look forward to another winter like the one we just went through. It seemed rather hectic at times but I guess we could have been a lot worse off.
I didn’t hear from Mom today either so I think I’ll write and ask if she received the money o.k.
Clifford will soon be in and then I won’t be able to think of anything with the radio on, so I’ll see what I can do towards Mom’s letter while it is still quiet.
I am glad Fluffy is acting better. I was sort of afraid she wouldn’t recover. She must look terrible. If she gets well enough, I’ll get a wire brush for her fur. That will give you something to do during your spare time. Isn’t that awfully cute of me?
Well my little “Bunny Duck” (how is that for a name), me thinks I’ll be drawing this to a close as whirlwind and girlfriend from upstairs just came in.
How about it, shall I expect to see you Saturday afternoon if it rains or if you aren’t working? Oh yes, I’m not going off register this weekend, so will you ask Fran where I should have them call me if I should get a call. Lydia said not to have them call Gifford’s. I think she said to call some Redish or something like that. So will you find out what their number is.
Good night, honey.
Oodles of love,
Ruth
P.S. Florence and Ben were over last night. Florence brought Lydia’s dishes over.
Gee, honey, you will be surprised when you see how much I have done on your bedspread.
Your suit just came and it looks swell. Loretta and I agree that it would be a shame to spoil such a beautiful press.
Better get me some more stamps.
April 8, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
Hello Dear,
Received your letter today so I’ll see what kind of answer I can get off. You’re wrong for once, dear. I didn’t feel a bit neglected when your letter didn’t come yesterday. Somehow I didn’t expect it until today. Maybe I knew you would be working on that bedspread.2
Boy, I’ll say you are getting into bad habits. You better not let it get the best of you. I’ll expect my wife to be up and dressed every morning by seven, Sundays excepted when it will be permissible to lie in bed until 7:15.
Sorry you aren’t having any luck getting work. Probably you will get a case about Saturday morning. I’ll ask Lydia how much of what you are supposed to bring and tell you when I get there.
Let’s see, what happened since I wrote last. Not much I guess. For one thing, the weather is very poor. Haven’t put in a full day’s work yet. Yesterday it snowed so hard we quit at noon and today we didn’t go to work until noon.
Fluffy is once more her old self. I can’t sit down without her jumping on me. I got her some buckthorn and cat food in M. yesterday. Does she go after the cat food in a big way. She is still quite dirty though. I’ll be ashamed to bring her down Sunday if she doesn’t clean up a little. I’m glad I didn’t let you see her when she was sick.
I went to P.H. yesterday afternoon. Fran and I went out investigating but we didn’t find out much. Mr. Bukhaus is sick and we couldn’t see him. The other piece of land we found out is owned by two different men. They are both willing to sell but wouldn’t set a price until they talk to each other. When they do, I imagine the price will go up out of sight. The first thing both of them asked was if we intended to put up a gas station. Maybe we will know by Saturday.
I am sending the April car payment and my father’s insurance tomorrow. Maybe the sheriff will leave me alone for a few days now.
I guess that is about all the events of the week so far. Oh yes, Lydia says she has your cats finished but one of them has a rather doubtful tail.
I counted my pennies and I have 98 so there is another dollar towards the dishes.
I gypped myself when I bought this pad. The sheets are larger than I have been using so you are getting more for your money, that is if I ever think of enough to fill one up.
Bye, bye, my sweet. See you Saturday night if you aren’t working.
Love and kisses,
Dave
Footnotes
- Another photo of Dave’s younger brother Ward was posted here. He was married three times. The first marriage, as noted before, was to Frances Erbacher (1917-2000) on September 14, 1937. They had two children as shown in the photo. They had divorced, but the circumstance is unknown; he was left with full custody of the children. He married a second time to Esther Hall (1904-1960) in 1956, and then to Elizabeth Krester (1910-1975) in 1964.
- This letter is most likely responding to one from the last post (here), dated April 4.