Ruth finishes her job and is once again out of work. She gets news that her brother Lynn is getting a divorce. Dave was also laid off, but temporarily. His father manages to get a job clearing trees.
March 30, 1936
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello Honey,
Here I am back to my usual Monday spare time task. Since I owe you a letter, I might as well get caught up with myself. The doctor hasn’t been in yet so I am apt to be interrupted at any time. Mrs. Stumpf was up a few minutes ago and after she had been up a while she asked if she could go out on the porch in the sun. I sent her back to bed and she said her knees were shaking so she could hardly stand up.
I suppose after tomorrow I will go back to the hopeless task of being on register again. Gee, I sure do dread it. I may go down street Wednesday just to take a look around. I haven’t been down for about six weeks. Loretta says I should go down and get me a new Easter outfit, but I say if I get any new clothes, it will be after Easter.
Remember you promised to make the payment on your car whether you get paid or not. You will soon have another one due to think about. I bet you will be glad when you no longer have those payments to think of. No doubt by the time you have that paid for, there will be something else to worry about.
Loretta and I were talking about the sheets I bought last week and she tells me I’m a fool to spend money for things for my cedar chest. I should worry what she says. I think Mrs. Hewitt thinks I’m crazy, but it is my own business. I hope when I’m as old as Loretta that I’m not doing the same as she is. Maybe she would have been just as well off if she hadn’t thought quite so much of herself.
Monday 4:30 p.m.
The doctor was in and made his last visit. When he left he thanked me for what I have done and said he would be seeing me again. His parting shot was “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”. I says, I probably couldn’t. One more day and I’ll be done. Loretta has to go back tonight. Gee, I bet she is peeved.
Well, sweet, the next letter I write maybe my time won’t be so limited and I might manage to make it a little longer.
Oodles of love.
Yours,
Ruth
March 31, 1936
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello my Sweet,
Once again I am out of work. I haven’t done much the last two days, but I put my time in and got paid for a full week. I don’t think I was ever in a place where I enjoyed it as much. I only wish there were a few more like it.
I had a letter from Mom tonight and imagine my surprise to learn that Lynn and Marion are getting a divorce. They never have had any trouble. I guess it is some sort of a friendly agreement between them and another couple.1 I’ll tell you more when I see you. I felt sort of bad, but I suppose it is better that way then it would be to give the scandal mongers something to gossip about. I guess it made Mom feel sort of bad.
I wrote to Mom tonight and sent her five dollars and tried to convince her that she should see the doctor. Whether she does or not remains to be seen.
Oh yes, Mom and Grace have made me a nice new quilt. Isn’t that swell? Looks like we’re going to have enough bedding for one bed at least. Now we have the grand total of two quilts and three blankets. We have another whole dollar in our dime saver. When I go down street tomorrow, I’ll see how much we need for our dishes.
I’m going downtown in the morning to get a few things for myself, but my Easter clothes will be purchased after Easter.
I’m listening to “It’s Been So Long” and it reminds me of my honey. Gee whiz, it seems like more than two days since I saw you.2
I’m going on register after I get back from downtown tomorrow. It sure will seem good to sleep in the morning as long as I want to for a change. You aren’t such a sleepy head as I am so you can’t appreciate the effort it took for me to jump out of bed at seven. The best part of it was I wasn’t even late one morning.
In case I don’t get called before Saturday and you are working, why don’t you come up during the day and bring Lydia and Fran along so Lyd can get her blankets.
Wednesday 5:00 p.m.
Gee, am I tired or am I? We just returned from down street and believe it or not, I still have $25 left. How is I doin’? I’m getting to be a regular “pinch penny”. I got started for home and then it dawned on me that I had forgotten to get something for my Davie. That was awfully thoughtless of me, but I’ll try not to let it happen again. Oh yes, I did get you something. I got some of the cutest pajamas for me to wear. They are cadet style. We’re in the Army now! I got me some other things, but you probably wouldn’t be interested. I’ll tell you a deep, dark secret if you will promise not to tell. I got tired of straining my eyes in our room, so I bought a 75 watt bulb. I also got the waste basket. Tell Lydia I got her a ducky new blouse for her blue suit. I also got her a vanity dresser set to embroider. We are going to try and have them done for her Saturday.
Gee, I hope I see Fluffy before she ruins her new bath. How did she act during the operation? I bet your sister received a few scratches.
Did you decide to invest the money you got out of your hens in some baby chicks? After you get them, I’ll take care of them.
I just went on register so now I will stick close to the house for a few days. Loretta came off her case Tuesday morning. So we are here together, which makes it pretty nice for a change.
Gosh, seems like Sunday will never get here and I want to see you awful bad. “Darn gosh it, everything happens to me.”
I got us a couple pairs of pillow cases today, so now I’ll have something else to embroider.
Loretta and I are awfully tired today because we got up at nine this morning, which is rather early for us when we aren’t working. We cleaned our room before we went out.
Well, I’ll expect to see you Saturday night if I’m not working. In case I am working, I’ll let you know somehow.
Be good and take good care of my honey boy until Saturday and then I’ll take care of him.
Oodles of love and kisses,
Yours,
Ruth
P.S. Listen, darling, how about letting me know what time you think you will be up.
April 1, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
I don’t know that there is anything much to write about but I know if you don’t hear from me, you will think something is wrong.
I am in P.H. so if the letter is cuckoo, don’t blame me. I was here last night also. Getting to be a habit with me I guess. I gave Lydia the money last night and now she is wondering how she can get to the city to spend it. She and Fran are in the bedroom and she just made some wise crack about getting the blankets before next winter or all four of us would have to sleep in one bed. Would that be cute or wouldn’t it?
Wilbur A. Coffin
Well Pappy has a job. Yep, he is cutting down trees in a big wilderness. He got a notice to report on the project I was telling you about. He couldn’t get on as carpenter so he took the next best thing until they can use him. Tuesday afternoon while he was working on Murphy’s porch that trick knee of his gave out and he is just about able to walk. I don’t know how he managed to work all day.3
You are not the only one who finished work Tuesday night. Yours truly got laid off but it didn’t last long. This morning my father and I were way up in the woods and about ten o’clock the boss came way up after us so I only lost a couple of hours. However, it is only apt to last a day or so.
I’ll be expecting some word from you about Saturday night. If I’m still working, I can probably get there by seven-thirty or eight.
Tomorrow morning I have to get up early, about 5:30. Have to take the poor little calf down to the naughty butcher before work.
Can’t think of anything more, hon, and Lydia says she can’t think of anything so I guess it is goodnight.
See you Saturday if you aren’t working.
Love and kisses,
“Me”
April 4, 19364
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
I suppose about now you are feeling awfully abused because you didn’t’ receive a letter today. Yesterday I didn’t have anything to write about and I haven’t anything to say.
It is one o’clock and I haven’t had any breakfast or gotten dressed yet. How is that for ambition? We just watched Clifford and his boyfriend give the dog a bath. It sure was a pleasure.
4:30 p.m.
Gee, hon, seems just like I’ll never get a letter written to you this week. However, I trust you will forgive me since I am spending my spare time on your bedspread. I know you will appreciate your bedspread more than you would a letter. Just imagine I haven’t even had time enough to get dressed yet. You see I am making the most of my chance to be lazy now because I suppose when we are married, I’ll have to be more dignified. I realize you wouldn’t allow your wife to stay around in a bathrobe and pajamas all day.
I sent your suit to the cleaners yesterday. They said they would bring it back Thursday. Gee, will we get a thrill out of having your suit in our clothes press.
The weather looks sort of nice out now, at present it is snowing bricks or sompin’. This weather makes me feel down in the dumps. The nice part of it is, Cliff has let the fire go out. About the time we get ready to go to bed it will be so hot we can’t breathe.
I called Mrs. Stumpf yesterday. She says she doesn’t feel very strong yet. She has a maid now. Edward was quite sick with chicken pox. She asked for my telephone number so if she ever needed to call a nurse, she would know where to find me.
Ask Lydia how much cream I am supposed to get for Saturday night. Also ask her if there is anything else she wants me to get for her.
I haven’t heard from Mom since I sent the money for her to see the doctor. Gee, I hope she got it o.k. I would hate to think I had lost five dollars.
Loretta thinks she will forbid me seeing you anymore as you occupy too much of my time.
How is Fluffy, or isn’t she? I’m sorry you didn’t let me see her Sunday night.
I guess Loretta and I had better get dressed ‘cause if we wait much longer, there won’t be any use of our putting clothes on.
Have you been to P.H. yet this week? I thought you might go yesterday or today since it was so rainy.
The weather is so lousy tonight that I hate to go out. The fact is, I hate to do anything these days unless it is being with you or embroidery.
Well, darling, it looks like we aren’t going to get any work so that leaves me with nothing to do but wait for Saturday again.
I guess I had better get some clothes on before I freeze to death. Loretta and I are fed up on restaurants so we are going to bring in something for sandwiches. Neither one of us have a date tonight so there is no reason why we shouldn’t eat onions.
“Nuff sed.”
Good night, honey.
Lots of love,
Yours,
Ruth
Footnotes
- The circumstances of this “agreement” will be detailed in a later post in May. It involves Marion’s cousin June, who became Lynn’s second wife.
- “It’s Been So Long” by Benny Goodman (1909-1986), the “King of Swing” was one of the top 60 “pop” songs of 1936 (#43). Vocals by Helen Ward. A youtube link has been posted below this letter if you want to hear it – it’s a good song!
- Wilbur Coffin was born 19 December, 1868 (according to his death certificate). The posted birth date on Ancestry.com is 1866. Going by the later date, he would have been 67 years old at the time this letter was written. In any case, it was pretty remarkable that he was doing hard physical labor at this age!
- The written date of this letter is April 4, but the post-mark is April 7, 10 pm, the following Tuesday. She may have had the date wrong. Just in case, it is being included in this post instead of the next one.