Dave and Frances have returned from Adams Center with Lydia. Everyone is on board with Dave and Ruth getting married; Janie and Percy are especially supportive. Jennie continues to be in delicate health, so Bill writes that he will return within a week or so if there is no improvement.
June 8, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
Hello Hon,
Arrived home safely last night about 12:00. I don’t know yet how that tire stood up all the way but it did. Now if it will only rain so I can go to the city. It started to sprinkle about ten this morning but didn’t make out. It has been cloudy all day and still looks like rain so I still have hopes.
Amos and Fannie Crandall, Janie and Percy Parker, c. 1917
Percy was out in the yard when I went by his house last night so I stopped. We didn’t get out of the car but I guess we were there for a full half hour. Janie had lots to say but I can’t remember half of it. She told me the same as she did you about our getting married. Both she and Percy think that too much is being expected of you. I certainly hope Bill comes home to help you out. It wouldn’t be so bad to leave you if I knew you were having a half-way decent time but I know you are worrying and working all the time. Maybe your Mother will feel a little better if she is able to get up and about.
I thought we would never get here last night. I guess we made it about as quick as usual but it seemed awfully long. Fran only drove about forty miles. He seemed all done up for some reason. If it hadn’t been for Lydia, I guess I would have gone to sleep a dozen times. She talked about anything and everything just to keep me awake. When we got in Fort Plain everyone was sitting out on the porch waiting for us. Howard had coffee and pie for us but Lydia and Fran wouldn’t get out of the car. I couldn’t blame them much because it was getting late.
I hardly knew Mom when I saw her. She had on a new dress, shoes, hat and a permanent and looked pretty spiffy. It is a good thing she has a little money coming once a year. If she had to depend on my father for things, she would wear rags.1
LaVere and Myron are playing ball with a tin can. How is that for being hard up? Every time they hit the darn thing I think it is a broken window.
Mom liked the flowers a lot. She gave part of them to Lula. In fact they both liked them so much they wanted to know how the chances were of getting some roots or bulbs or whatever it is they grow from.
I haven’t been very tired today but I must have looked all in this morning because everyone started kidding me, even the boss. They don’t get much kick out of it though because I let them rave on and don’t say a word. Fran tried to make Mom believe I didn’t go to bed until six o’clock Sunday morning. Wasn’t that kind of mean?
Well, honey girl, I’ll sign off now and get a good night’s sleep. It is only about 8:30.
Love and kisses to my darling,
Dave
June 8, 1936
Adams Center, N.Y.
Hello My Darling Boy,
Gee, Sweetheart, maybe this hasn’t been a long, lonesome day. I don’t know if it is because Lydia was here with me last week or because it will be so long before I see you again. I guess maybe it is a little of both.
Joyce stayed up all night and I slept with Mom. It was awfully hot and somehow or other some mosquitos got in. If that wasn’t enough, Mom had a stomach spell so it was after three before I got any sleep. She was awake again at 5:30 and kept reminding me I had to get up and get breakfast. This morning after I got the work done I thought I would have a nap and had just nicely gone to sleep when Janie stopped on her way to Watertown. I gave up the idea of any sleep. You can imagine how I feel tonight after Saturday night and last night.
Mom came downstairs this morning. She has had a fairly good day. I do hope she continues to feel better. I feel so depressed and nervous all the time I can’t put myself to doing any work. I haven’t felt like eating today and that is something for me. Believe me, if Bill does come home, it will relieve me of some responsibility.
I felt worse last night when you left me than I ever have before. It must be because I feel as I do lately. I should feel happy because we have such a love as ours. It is my only bright spot now. I guess I have written enough about my troubles for this time. Here’s hoping your tires held out until you got home last night. It must have been an awfully hard trip for you expecting a flat any minute.
We had quite a thunder shower tonight and I thought it might rain tomorrow but it seems to have cleared up so it doesn’t look like my boy goes to the city tomorrow.
Billy Sedgemore with Pat
Mom was sorry she couldn’t see you boys before you went home but she said she was afraid she would cry again and make things harder for us. She was afraid she had hurt your feelings.
Since the rain Billy and I planted twenty tomato plants. Here’s hoping they turn out better than my plant boxes.
Mom had a letter from her new daughter-in-law today. I wrote to her and Lynn this afternoon and also Loretta.
Glenn was here for a while. He had been to Watertown to get his eyes fitted. He was sick in bed all day yesterday. Last night he went to the barn and fainted away.
Tell Lydia and Fran the next time they come up I hope they bring another half dozen rabbits. I’ve had to catch that Pete rabbit three times today. Finally I confined him to a barrel.
I have to stop writing now, but not without saying “I love you”.
Yours always,
Ruth
June 10, 1936
Middleburg, N.Y.
My Darling Girl,
Well today finally arrived and your letter with it. I bet you didn’t tell me half of how lonesome you were Monday or how tough a night you had Sunday. I can imagine how it was anyway, dear.
I’m glad your Mother felt good enough to come downstairs Monday and I certainly hope nothing happens to set her back again. I hope you told her that Fran and I understood how she felt about telling us goodbye and that our feelings weren’t hurt a bit.
Gee, hon, I hope you have caught up on your sleep by now. You sure had tough luck trying to get some.
I think you must have a corner on the dime market. Why don’t you get them changed and put them back into circulation. I haven’t had one in my possession in so long I have forgotten what they look like. Everything I buy comes out so that I get quarters or nickels back. Even the pennies seem to elude me. I only have 63 after two months. We’ll never make much money that way. And that reminds me, it is about time I cautioned you again about getting blue over doing your part. I was surprised when I finally found out what was troubling you Saturday night. Honestly, darling, I think you have done an awful lot and I hope you don’t ever again try to belittle all that you have done. I can understand how you might want to do more, but don’t think of that as being your duty. I’m the one who should be able to furnish a home for you, but my love seems to have gotten way ahead of my pocketbook. All those things you have collected and made mean more to me than a whole house full of furniture and I mean that, sweetheart. Don’t ever feel blue over that again will you, dear.
Everyone around here is still praying for rain. You can’t imagine how dry it is. There is hardly a green spear of grass left in our lawn. Consider yourself lucky if you got one shower. Suppose it doesn’t rain between now and July 4th and I have steady work. There will be another excuse for me to shy away from the altar. I won’t have time to go to the city and get a ring. See, it has been so long since I have written anything that resembled a joke in one of my letters that I had better speak about it or you will think I am serious about looking for an excuse.
Lydia and Fran stopped here a few minutes tonight on their way to M. I told them coming back on Sunday that we were planning on getting married and they seemed to think it would be alright.
Well, sweet, I’m nearing the end of both this paper and words so I’ll say goodnight with a million kisses.
Dave
June 10, 1936
Adams Center, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
Now that my other duties are over for the day, I’ll perform my last one and go me to bed.
Lynn and June were here for a couple of hours. They came by way of Fayetteville and brought Grace and Niles along. They were all here for supper. Lynn had to go back to Elmira tonight so they couldn’t help with the dishes. They made Joyce and June promise to do all the dishes so I wouldn’t have to. It is much easier on my nerves to wash them myself than it is to have them do it so Joyce wiped them and I washed. I guess you can guess how many we had. June seems very nice, in fact I think she will fit in better than Marion. Both she and Lynn asked us to come and see them on our wedding trip.
Lynn and June Parker, Poughkeepsie, 1938. “Lynn is as full of wise cracks as ever.” -Ruth P., June 10, 1936
I warned Lynn several times about being careful of that suit. He says that darned zipper lets you down. Does that sound like a remark one of the Parker boys might make. Lynn is as full of wise cracks as ever.
Mom seems to be feeling better since she got up and around. Her eyes are better and she doesn’t get as confused when she talks. She has slept good nights lately.
We had a letter from Bill today and he says unless he has a more favorable report from Mom he will be home the 16th or 17th of this month.
Yesterday Mom rode to Watertown with me. I went up and spent my six dollars. Now I have my six sheets, twelve pillow cases, six bath towels and seven wash clothes. What I got came to $5.98. How is that for close figuring? I must have nearly two more dollars in dimes saved. I intended to get a flat iron but I may change my mind. We haven’t done bad at getting the little things we will need for keeping house. I only hope we are as lucky getting our furniture. I should have quite a little money coming from the colt this summer to put into furniture. I think Harold still owes me $125.00. I canned some rhubarb and pineapple conserve yesterday.
Thursday morning.
Mom’s visitors proved to be too much for her yesterday. She had a bad night and this morning at 4:30 she had a heart spell. I had her take aromatic spirits of ammonia and a little later gave her hot milk. She said if I hadn’t gotten her something, she would have died. I have sent for the Dr. and had Janie call Grace to come up and stay until Bill comes home. I didn’t get much sleep last night.
Well, dear, I must close and get to work. I love you, honey.
Yours,
Ruth
June 11, 1936
Adams Center, N.Y.
Hello Honey,
I don’t owe you a letter but after the letter I sent you this morning I’m afraid you will think I am crazy. It is almost impossible for me to collect myself enough to write any sort of a letter.
The Dr. came over this morning and he found Mom’s condition good. Her blood pressure is 175 and he says it may be because it is so much lower that she has the heart spells. He is quite certain that she had a slight stroke which has caused the confusion and may have something to do with her eyes.
Grace came up and is going to stay until Bill comes home, if he does come. Dr. Ralph said he had a letter from Bill and he wanted to know if it was necessary for him to leave his job to come home. The Dr. says her condition isn’t serious enough to have him come home but said he would do as I thought best about telling him what to do. Believe me, if he doesn’t come home now, he will get a letter and a half from me. It won’t hurt him any more than it has me and that is what Mom says. I have stood about all I can.
I am sorry Janie and Percy said anything to you about us getting married and I am also sorry I told you what anyone said about it. I didn’t mean it to appear that people were trying to rush you and I don’t want you to let anyone’s opinion influence you. You know more about what you can do than I or anyone else so use your own judgment. However, I do know that we have to make up our minds one way or the other and see it through. Don’t let anything I have said influence you as I can always get along as well as I did last winter. From a couple of things you have said, it appears that you think people are anxious for us to be married. Maybe I have talked too much about it so just forget anything other people may have said.
Mom says you can have some roots of those flowers. I think they should be taken up in the fall.
I have thought about us a lot since you went back and the more I think, the deeper I get in a fog. Maybe if I didn’t have so much on my mind, I could think better. Maybe it would be better if we gave up the idea of getting married. If Mom gets better, I might be lucky enough to get work so that I could be a help rather than a drawback to you. If Mom doesn’t get better, they may expect me to stay here all of the time just as I used to.
I love you, dear, and it is awfully hard to know that I’m making your life harder when I want so much to make you happy.
We have had some big showers off and on all day and I have been wondering if you got rain down there. Some of the garden you boys put in Sunday has come up and I think even the tomato plants I put in are going to live.
I had a letter from Zelma and she tells me she is getting a new car the first of next month. She also sends her regards to you.
Friday morning.
Well we had another hectic night last night. I was awake off and on all night. Mom woke up and didn’t know where she was again. I know it was because she was worried because Bill wrote to the Dr. This morning she is all in again.
As usual, there is lots of work to be done so I will say so long until next time.
I love you, my precious.
Yours,
“Me”
Footnote
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