Ruth’s living situation is getting less tolerable by the day, so she has been going out with some of her classmates to find a new apartment. She also checks in on Mrs. Finkelstein, and they are delighted to see her. Dave continues to have work, and thinks he’ll be at his current job for at least another few weeks.
June 3, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
Well here goes for a try at getting a letter finished before my eyes close. I have a perfectly good excuse for not writing but I don’t dare to use it after getting by with one letter last week. If I did it again this week, you probably wouldn’t write to me for a month.
I woke up this morning with a beautiful headache. It has been with me all day and is still going strong. It is a good thing you didn’t slap me on the head last night or I probably would lay the blame for this headache on you. As it is, I can’t account for it unless it is some of the meanness working out of me. I was even mean to myself today and worked an hour later than usual. Didn’t get in to supper until 6:30.
Arrived home at 2:15 this morning. Came back by way of Preston Hollow and everyone seemed to be sleeping soundly in that little community. And speaking of sleep makes me think I’ll have to install a radio or sumpin in the car to keep me from doing just that. About half way home last night I got so darn sleepy I had to stop the car and walk up and down the road to wake myself up. The rest of the way home I was either talking out loud or singing, pardon me, making a noise to keep myself awake. It sure is a funny feeling to fall asleep while driving and wake up just in time to get the car back in the road. Maybe I could invent a robot to do my driving for me.
I haven’t weighed the kitten yet but I picked it up and I’m sure it weighs more than a pound. So is that satisfactory or do you think it needs a little more Vitamin D in its diet?
Eastern Phoebe
I had to destroy a bird’s nest today. I didn’t exactly destroy it but I might as well have. There was one in the house I am tearing down and it was right in the way today so I took it down and set it out in the field but the mother bird didn’t go near it. There were two young birds just hatched and three eggs in the nest. However, they were phoebes and as they are a perfectly useless bird, I don’t feel too bad about it.1
I hope you can make out this scrawl without too much trouble. I’m going to quit now and fill out your license and then to bed.
Dave
June 4, 1935
70 Jay Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
Yeah, just as I thought, I got today off. It is after 10:00 and I am still in bed. My sleep wasn’t very sound after 7:00. The radio is swell this morning, in fact it is much better than it is at night.
Gee, this is a terrible place to try and get any sleep. It doesn’t bother me so much at night, but during the day I think it will drive me crazy because I have to have air so consequently I get the noise. I’ve got to find a more quiet place.
If you see Lydia, tell her I took that film to the drug store and there weren’t any of the pictures worth developing. They were all black and Sosville said they looked like me.
It is 10:30 already so I think I’ll get up and go out and get some breakfast. While I am out, I may look for a room.
7:20 p.m.
What a day this has been! I went down on Chestnut Street to see about the room, and this time I made myself known. It made no difference. All she had was the room on Lancaster and so I had Ruth Williams look at it too. She decided to stay where she is and I can’t pay $6 a week for a room. We looked at a lot of rooms, but could find nothing suitable. I get so darned tired of running all over and finding nothing that I don’t know what to do. It sure is hell to be poor.
I also went up to Finklestiens and stayed nearly three hours. Mrs. Fink looks pretty good but remains about the same. She was tickled to see me and wanted me to stay for dinner, but I couldn’t because I had to meet Ruth.
Gee, I hope next week I get a day off so I can spend it with Lydia. I am in hopes it will be Monday. Scott gets tomorrow off.
Florence was over Sunday afternoon so Mrs. Conlon says. I guess I’ll have her come over to see me Saturday so we can plan something for Sunday night, providing you can come up. What do you think?
I sort of like it at Thatcher Park.2 Gee, was I all in yesterday. Sosville went to bed early for a change Sunday so she had the laugh on Scott and I. However, she went up to Thatcher Park last night and she was all caught up today. She got in at 3:30 and she was having a terrible time trying to keep going. Gee, when one stays out late, I find the best thing to do the next day is keep moving or it is just too bad. Scott says she thinks she will go to the Park Sunday night.
John Boyd Thacher State Park.
I’ll take this letter out and mail it but just in case you don’t get it on Wednesday, it should be o.k. with you because I performed the two duties you wanted me to.
What’s going to happen? I didn’t get mad at all Sunday night. I made a record for myself. I was awfully silly I guess, so I don’t know but what it is even worse than being crabby.
How are your eyes? Maybe they would stay open better if you got more sleep. Tell Lydia that last Saturday night proves that I wasn’t the cause of the crowd staying out late nights in the bygone days.
How is your job coming and have you heard anything more about the job on the camp?
I’ll have to snap out of it and mail this or I’ll be out of luck for a letter Friday.
So long,
“Me”
June 5, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dear Ruth,
“Town Hall” is over for tonight so I’ll try and concentrate on this letter to the accompaniment of Guy Lombardo’s orchestra. I did plan to do just a little bit of chiseling and make you wait until Saturday for this letter but since you mentioned the fact that you will be looking for one Friday I guess I had better change my mind.
I haven’t been down to P.H. yet this week but will try and make it some night. Usually when night comes I feel more like going to bed than anything else. It’s funny how a person can change so. Five or six years ago I wouldn’t have thought of staying in the house more than two nights a week. Now I don’t go out more than that. Maybe I need more Vitamin D in my diet.
I finished tearing down the buildings this morning and came home and worked around here. I’ll work here yet tomorrow and then go back to work for this same fellow. There is about three more weeks of work there building a garage and about 200 feet of road. Haven’t heard any more from the camp work except that they are waiting for lumber. If the government is as slow sending that as they were most everything else in the C.C.C., it will be a month yet before it gets here. That would suit me alright because the longer they wait the more work I can get in where I am.
So you went back to Chestnut Street and still no luck. I suppose it is all my fault for sending you back there but I thought sure from the way Mrs. Salisbury talked she would have something for you. It’s too bad you can’t get someone to go in with you on the other place.
Did you call me a sleepyhead or something to that effect when I slept until nine o’clock? Just imagine what I could call you for sleeping until ten. I’ll let the opportunity pass though because anyone who works as many hours as you deserves to sleep in the morning once in a while.
Did they say anything at Finkelstiens about your coming back there? I hope you don’t lose that chance.
So you liked Thatcher Park. Better be careful what you are admitting. First thing you know you will admit you like the country down here. That isn’t very probable though and I wouldn’t blame you for not liking what you see of it from the city. If you could get out more, you would enjoy it more but work and play can’t get along together somehow. Anyone would have to hand it to you for the work you have put in since you came down here and I certainly admire your spirit. If anyone deserves a good future, you do and I hope you get it.
I’ll see you Sunday night for anything I know now! I can’t promise anything with that car the way it is but I’ll do my best so if you can plan anything with Ben and Florence, it’s O.K. with me. I wish I could see my way clear to trade this car for something else but I can’t yet. I’ve been out of work so long it will take me a long while to get even again if I have steady work. I’ve got to dig up about sixty dollars between now and July 1st so it doesn’t look as though I’ll be getting a car yet for a while. I knew darn well if Fran didn’t get a car before he was married, it would be a long while after before he did. However, he isn’t rolling in money either so I can’t blame him for that.
I suppose I should compliment you on being in such good humor Sunday night. I didn’t think you were silly, as you express it. You were just swell. Keep it up and I’ll see that you are awarded the Carnegie Medal of Honor or sompin.
My Ingersoll tells me it is 10:15 and way past my bedtime so I’m going to quit and pound the pillow for a while. It is raining so I’ll have to have Mother call me if I should fall asleep.
Dave
June 5, 1935
70 Jay Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
Gee, I’m getting good, this is my third (would be) letter tonight and I’m not answering chain letters either.
I’m sorry you had a headache Monday, I hope sleep cured it. It probably was caused from your eyes. I suggest you get your glasses changed soon. I know how it feels to work with a headache. How are your eyes of late?
I was afraid you would be awfully sleepy going home alone. I guess I’ll have to send you home earlier or else you’ll have to quit working on Sundays. Take it from me, these seven day weeks aren’t so hot. Maybe one reason you were so tired was because you didn’t get much sleep Saturday night.
I know I was awful tired Monday night and I went to bed early Saturday night at that.
Gee, I sure hope they give me Monday off next week, but I won’t know until the day before when I’ll get a day.
Sosville and Ed brought me home tonight and believe me it seemed good. Scott had the day off so we had to keep moving all day and maybe our feet didn’t ache.
Just between you and me, I think the guy in the front room has the load on tonight.3 I have my door locked twice and I’m not even bothering to go through the hall to the bathroom. I guess I’ll survive if I don’t take a bath tonight, but I have an awful time trying to keep from screaming. I’ll be glad if I ever get out of this darned place. Sosville is going to see if I can’t room in with the family where she used to board when she went to school. She says they are very nice people and always made her feel at home. Anything would be better than this. She doesn’t like to have me stay here any better than you do or I do.
Thanks oodles for fixing the license for me. I am sending it to my mother in the morning.
If you see Lydia, will you tell her that I say just because she is a married woman, that is no excuse for not answering my letter. Also, tell her that she knew me long before she did the people in Preston Hollow, including Francis. Be sure and tell Lydia and Fran what time you got home, but they won’t believe it unless you stop some night and wake them up and that would be impossible.
I gotta go to bed, so I’ll call it a day.
Ruth P.
June 6, 1935
70 Jay Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
This is going to be rather short and sweet so think nothing of it. It is 10:05 and I just returned from a ride to Averill Park with Sosville and one of her numerous boyfriends. Her married sister went along so it was o.k.
The purpose of this note is to ask you to bring me Lydia’s suitcase when you come up Sunday if you do, as I think I am making a move to 349A Madison Avenue. We found a room tonight for $3 if I am alone or $4 with someone else. It has twin beds so maybe Sosville will stay with me part of the time. It is the best I have seen yet and there are no other rooms. The room seemed cool, has two windows and isn’t near the street. It is between Dove and Swan so it isn’t much farther to walk.
I had a letter from Lydia today and I guess she had lots of company Sunday. Gee, if I hadn’t been so big-hearted and let someone else have the day off, we could have been there, too. But I don’t care, I enjoyed the ride we took. It sure seems good to get out in the country. I guess I’ll always be a farmer at heart. What do you think?
I forgot to tell you, we went to Averill Park for ice cream. We had a swell ride.
I can hardly wait until I can move out of this place. Nobody knows how I feel staying here. If you shouldn’t be able to come, maybe I should make a date with Florence and Ben and have them move me. I only hope I don’t move into a worse mess. I don’t think I am because Mrs. Mack seems nice and I saw two of her daughters and they seemed o.k. It is a better location anyhow. The landlady said she would rather rent the room for less and be sure she had someone who was respectable.
I think I’ll retire so this will be the end.
Ruth P.
P.S. I hope you know what this is all about, I’m not sure that I do.
Please don’t forget the suitcase!
June 7, 1935
Albany, N.Y
Dear Dave,
I suppose you will be surprised to get this but circumstances force me to write so it looks like you get the heavy end of the correspondence this week (as usual).
Miss Van Deusen broke the news this morning that I can have Saturday and Sunday off and I have to be at work at 7:30 Sunday night. So if you should by chance get this letter in the morning, you can come after me at any time you find it convenient Saturday. I wish I could have let you know sooner so you could have come after me tonight.
I will try and get packed so I can move Saturday night and I won’t have to be bothered Sunday.
This is being written on duty so don’t be surprised if I don’t bother finishing it.
Be sure and go to Lydia’s for the suitcase before you come up as there is a possibility that Sosville and Ed might bring me down sometime in the wee small hours. However, I think the chances are small.
Until I see you, so long.
“Me”
Footnotes
- One of our most familiar eastern flycatchers, the Eastern Phoebe’s raspy “phoebe” call is a frequent sound around yards and farms in spring and summer. These brown-and-white songbirds sit upright and wag their tails from prominent, low perches. They typically place their mud-and-grass nests in protected nooks on bridges, barns, and houses, which adds to the species’ familiarity to humans. Hardy birds, Eastern Phoebes winter farther north than most other flycatchers and are one of the earliest returning migrants in spring.
- John Boyd Thacher State Park. Located 15 miles southwest of Albany near Voorheesville, NY. Named after the Albany mayor, the land was donated by his widow, Emma Treadwell Thacher in 1914. It is a wildlife preserve that became popular with New York residents, and many amenities have been added since. It is still popular to this day, although it faced closure in 2010 due to budget deficits.
- The guy was drunk.