Ruth still cannot get work and is frustrated about it, made worse by the fact that her friend Loretta is getting lots of different jobs, leaving her feeling overlooked. Dave had a job with the local election board, which paid him well for a long, grueling election day. He also talks about some work he’s doing with Francis.
November 4, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Dearest Ruthie,
Well here I is alive and kicking but just about ready to lay down and play dead for a while. What a day this has been. It’s now 8:30 and I’ve just arrived home. It wasn’t enough that we worked hard all day, we went to Ravena after work and got that candy for Francis. When I got home I found out someone had just called up to notify me that I am on the election board tomorrow so I turned right around and went back to P.H. to tell Fran and let him take the tools out of my car. He will drive yours tomorrow. Oh me, oh my, did I say something about this having been a long day? My mistake, it still is. LaVere just called up from Livingstonville and wants me to come and get him. Someone stole his bicycle.
Well, sweet, I’ll try and add a few more lines to this before I fall asleep and that won’t be long. My eyes are wind burned I guess. The wind has been blowing quite hard all day and I’ve been perched way up in the air most of the day where I could get the full benefit of it.
I hope you didn’t lay awake last night worrying about me because you know I’ve promised to be careful and I will. I don’t want to get any more than you want me to.
I brought Fluffy home tonight and she is having a great time exploring all her favorite places around here. I think she is glad to be back. Mom says she looks awfully nice after her bath.
Gee, Hon, I hope you get some work this week. I know just how you feel and it isn’t very nice. Try and not get too discouraged though, dear. Maybe when you do get something it will be good.
I wish I could write you a dozen pages but I’m afraid it is beyond me to even fill this one out. I’ll have to get up at five tomorrow morning and it is going to be a long day. I guess I’ll earn my eight dollars.
Goodnight, sweetheart, and even though this letter is short, remember I love you more than I could tell you in a million letters.
“Me”
November 4,1935
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello dear,
Another week of nothing to do but wait. I’m going down to school tomorrow and see if it does any good. Gee, if we can’t get work now, I don’t know what it will be like when the new class gets out. O.k., well, it doesn’t do any good to worry about it.
I had a letter from my mother this morning and I have answered it already. I also finished that letter to Eva and believe it or not, I wrote to that Miss Spaulding down on High Street and asked her for my five bucks. It probably won’t do any good, but it can’t do any harm. If she doesn’t come across, I’ll go down and see her.
Loretta is over at Schermerhorn’s this afternoon staying while she goes out. Clifford has gone to Selkirk or someplace hunting, so silence reigns. Loretta got mad at Clifford this morning for turning the radio on loud before we got up.
Ed and Loretta came back at 1:15 a.m. thinking they would find us parked in front of the house. She says she is going to speak to you about getting me in two hours earlier than she got in. She says it shows her up too much. Saturday night she got in at 3:15. She tries to tell me they had a flat tire. Makes a good-sounding story anyway.
You should have seen the look Hewitts handed me when I came in so early. Even Clifford was in early last night. The Mr. wanted to know if that was me parked in front of the house, so you see, my love, he must have gone by the car whether you saw him or not.
I just called Distell to fix things up for a dinner engagement some night soon, but she wasn’t in. If I stayed in the way she does when I am on register, I wouldn’t expect any work. Loretta sees Ed tonight and she doesn’t see him again until a week from tomorrow night.
The furnace isn’t fixed yet and the house is sort of chilly. I light the oven once in a while just so I won’t freeze to death.
I looked in the telephone book and neither one of those names are in it. There are three or four Whites but they are all men.
I haven’t even done any embroidery today. The next time I am down to Preston Hollow remind me to have you help figure out how that pillow top Eva gave me goes. I seem to be mixed up on it.
Tell Lydia to be sure and write ‘cause she owes me and I can’t waste stamps on anyone who doesn’t write to me.
Let me know how Fluffy stood the bath. I hope she survived.
Did you get home o.k. and were you very sleepy? Loretta said if you hadn’t been gone when they came back, we would all have gone with you and spent the night.
Gee but it is hard to write letters when there is nothing to say and it must be even worse to have them to read.
Loretta just called and wants me to go out to dinner with Ed but I said I couldn’t be bothered.
Now that I have given you the latest dirt, I’ll call it a day and read for a little while.
Be careful and don’t pound your little bitsy fingers, won’t you, honey. Don’t work too hard and get sick, at least not until you have earned enough to hire a nurse for a week or so.
Love,
“Me”
November 5, 1935
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
Didn’t I tell you so? Yeah, they put Loretta on another case this morning. She went on register yesterday morning and I have been on two weeks. I just finished having a little cry for myself. I guess I was a little mad and discouraged. I feel better now. I went down to school this morning and I confronted Miss Van Deusen with “Is there such a thing as any work to be had?” She said they thought I was working. I told her I hadn’t worked in eight weeks and I hated like the deuce to stay in the city and run up a board bill. She said she would keep me in mind and see what she could do for me. She said things were very slack but I don’t see as that is any reason for handing all the cases to one person. I am glad for Loretta’s sake that she is lucky. If they had anything on me, I wouldn’t be surprised at not getting any work, but I never came off a case yet that the people didn’t say if they ever got a chance to help me, they would. It doesn’t get me anywhere thinking about it all the time. I might as well take it and like it. What do you know, I got so ambitious, I walked down to school and back, a distance of two miles today.
Wednesday 3:15 p.m.
Now that the last mail has gone and I still didn’t receive a letter, I’ll see what I can do about writing anyway. No doubt you have a good excuse for not writing. I sort of thought you would be pretty tired Monday night. I’m sorry you get so tired. I know how it is to have to work when you feel more like sleeping.
Mrs. Hewitt told me I could wait and pay her when I got some work. I told her I appreciated the offer but I would rather keep caught up. If I once get behind on my board, I’m sunk.
About the fifth of December I have several days work at the Convalescent Home. Mrs. Schermerhorn is going away and has asked Loretta to stay there. She told her to have me come and help her. That is only five weeks off.
Do you hear your dear friend Rags barking? I hate that darned dog worse every day. I would like to see how he would react to a nice big dose of chloroform. Loretta says nearly everyone who ever came here developed a keen dislike for him.
There hasn’t anything very exciting happened this week, only Clifford burned the potatoes last night. Wait a minute before you jump to conclusions. He was out in the yard talking with Helen.
I wrote your letter Monday afternoon and if you didn’t get it Tuesday, don’t blame me ‘cause I tried hard enough to get it mailed. Every mailbox in this part of the city was freshly painted. I walked until I found about six and then gave it up as a bad job. When Ed came, I gave the letters to him. It was quite late so you may not have received it until today.
Loretta is on day duty so she comes home to sleep. Sunday night, or rather Monday morning, when she got in she started reading that darned book I told you about in bed. I told her if she didn’t put the light out, I would throw both her and the book out.
I don’t know when to tell you to come up this weekend. If you still want to go down town, you could come Saturday night and then you could take your mother to church Sunday. I’ll let you know Friday night if I am working yet or not. You can use your own judgment about when you come up, only let me know what you decide. If you are too tired, don’t come up at all. I know your intentions are good and I hate to have you come so far when you have to work so hard.
Gee, I got a swell new song sheet yesterday with all the latest songs, “You are My Lucky Star”, etc.
“Broadway Melodies” is on up at the Madison this week.1 Ed and Loretta saw it Sunday night. I didn’t even know it was on until Loretta told me. I would go and see it, but I would rather stay at home than see a movie alone. Everyone else saw it at the Hall. Maybe I can see it when it comes to one of the smaller places around here.
How is the job coming or aren’t you even working? Tell that guy not to be too hard on Fran.
Gee whiz, if they don’t fix that furnace soon, I’ll have to stay in bed all the time to keep warm.
Zelma called so now we are all caught up on the latest gossip for a while.
Be good, sweet, and take care of you for me.
Love,
Ruth
P.S. I’ll go out now and see if the paint is dry on the mailboxes yet.
November 6, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
My Dear Ruth,
I just finished playing with Fluffy but she doesn’t seem ready for bed yet. I’m afraid she stayed up too late Sunday night and now thinks she can do it all the while. Something must be done about it. What do you recommend?
Election is all over but the crying and shouting, and I for one am not sorry. I certainly earned $8.00 yesterday. From 6 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. There are no voting machines in this district, that’s why we were so late getting there and did I have a headache. One like you had from the streetcars I guess. This morning right after breakfast I thought I was going to have a whole bunch of kittens judging from the pains in my solar plexus or whatever you call it. However, it only lasted a little while and I haven’t seen any increase in the number of kittens running around here.
Went back on the job with Fran today. He said he would have given five dollars himself if I had been there yesterday. Guess he had quite a time getting anything done with that spaghetti bender.2 We certainly worked hard enough today but it still doesn’t show up so much. I don’t think we will be able to finish it this week and I hope not.
This seems like an awfully long week for some reason or other. I hope the next half doesn’t go as slow as the first half. I suppose I shouldn’t kick though. It probably seems twice as long to you if you are not working.
Are you taking your dancing lesson this week? You had better do that or something else or you will go crazy hanging around doing nothing. I know you hate to miss a call, but you certainly should do something besides sit in the house all day.
Too bad we fooled Loretta and Ed Sunday night. It was rather early but at that I didn’t get home until nearly one. I don’t drive very fast when I am inclined to be sleepy. I find that makes me all the worse.
You probably won’t get any returns from your letter to High Street but there is no shame in trying. I’ll take you down Sunday if you want to go then.
Mom and LaVere have both gone out for the evening so it is rather lonesome here. I wish you were here to cheer the place up a little, my love.
For one who says there is nothing to write about, you do quite well I would say. I’m the one who can’t think of anything to say. Right now all I can think of is “I love you,” and you say you don’t like to hear me say that, so what am I to do? Say goodnight I guess and call it a day. See you Sunday, darling.
Love,
Dave
November 7, 1935
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Hello dear,
So I misjudged you and accused you of not writing when you did. It happened thus, Clifford worked at the store yesterday and the mailman gave the letter to him so I didn’t get it until I came in after mailing your letter. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you hadn’t bothered writing when you were so tired. I appreciate your letters and you have no idea how much they mean to me, but when you need rest so badly, I’ll understand if you skip writing. I wish I could have been near to smooth your hair and put you to sleep.
Newspaper clipping about the destruction of the Coast Guard Station in Sandy Creek, NY
Loretta is still working but I’m not yet. I have just about given up hopes of ever getting a case. However, it doesn’t do any good to worry so I might as well sit around and like it. Loretta asked me what I did the other day, and I told her I sat around feeling sorry for myself.
Clayton (Cliff’s brother) was here this afternoon. He and Clifford aren’t anything alike. He is sort of nice. He says anytime I want to learn to dance, he will teach me. They even asked me to go to Watervliet with them but I turned down the invitation.
Does Fluffy do any better about keeping herself clean? If she needs a bath this weekend and you come after me, bring her as far as Lydia’s Saturday night and I’ll have her ready to take home Sunday.
I guess I’ll get big hearted and offer to wash the windows here tomorrow so I can get a brighter outlook on life.
I got up at 10:30 this morning. I seem to have developed the habit of sleeping late. I bet if I had to do night duty, I couldn’t sleep at all days.
They fixed the furnace last night so now I can keep warm. It was a wonder I didn’t catch cold with it so cold here. You see, I must have good resistance and if I wasn’t eating enough of the right food, I wouldn’t have. So what does that prove? There isn’t any doubt about me getting enough rest.
I had a letter from Mom this morning. The Coast Guard Station burned last Sunday. That was where we got stuck in the sand on the beach. You couldn’t see much of it that night, but it was a nice place. It has been on the inactive list since the first of September because they are building a new station on an island in the open lake.
Percy and Janie have their bathroom and kitchen completed. I don’t know if they have given up coming down here this fall or not.
I have Clifford trained now not to hold out on me with my mail. He brought Mom’s letter in to me this morning before I was up.
I don’t know what I’ll do for excitement tonight. Maybe I’ll go to a show or sompin’.
Gee, hon, what do you do when there is nothing to say? Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sign off.
Love,
“Me”
November 7, 1935
Middleburg, N.Y.
Hello Sweetheart,
I really didn’t intend to write again this week but after I read your letter tonight I just couldn’t help it if it will cheer you up a bit. The only trouble is that by the time you get the letter you are all over your blue mood.
If you ask me, I would say it is pretty rotten that Loretta is getting all the work. That is a poor excuse for them to put up about thinking you were working and you can’t tell me that Miss Loretta isn’t paying for her jobs. I don’t suppose there is anything you can do about it, but I’d keep bothering them at the school until they give you at least one case to keep you quiet.
I don’t know why my letter didn’t arrive Wednesday. I wrote as usual Monday night and it isn’t around here anyplace so I suppose it was mailed.
Fran and I are still working. We made quite a showing today. I have been on the roof most of the day today and I’m rather stiff tonight as the result.
For anything I know, I’ll be up as usual Sunday. I would like to come Saturday instead of Sunday when I am working but if I am working, I can’t get up there much before 8:30 and that doesn’t leave much time to see you. If you aren’t working, I’ll be up as early Sunday afternoon as I can.
Why don’t you go and see that picture at the Madison? You should go out more, hon, and not stick so close to that phone.
Thanks for writing when my letter didn’t come. I’ll have to speak to the P.O. Department about painting all the letter boxes at once. Anyway, you are a sweet girl and I love you for it.
I wish I could think of as much to write as you do but it seems impossible. Every time I start to write, all I can think of is you and everything I was going to say has left me.
Be good, my sweet, and here’s wishing you some good luck for a change. My pen just went dry and I’m too lazy to go upstairs and fill it. I’ll address the envelope when I go up to bed which will be very shortly.
Lots of love,
“Me”
November 8, 1935
464 First Street
Albany, N.Y.
Dear Dave,
When this letter is finished I will have completed my duty for the week and can go on a vacation until Monday night. There is no work in sight yet.
Guess what? Mrs. Johnson and I went to see “Broadway Melodies” last night. Now I guess I’m caught up with you. We ate at the diner and I guess I was home at 10:30.
Mrs. Johnson’s husband beat her home by ten minutes and the fat was in the fire. He seems to think she should sit in the house and wait for him and after he gets in still stay in while he spends his time at the grill next door. If she would cut down on the attention for a change, he would come down a notch or two. I can’t imagine anyone being so disagreeable.
We had a good time and enjoyed the picture but I’m sorry it had to turn out so unpleasant for her. However, I think she has herself to thank.
So you thought you were about to be confined. The next time you feel that way, let me know as I would hate to miss something like that. Gee, was I sick this morning. I woke up at 6:30 and for once I didn’t go back to sleep. I felt so bad I thought I was going to die and in a little while I got worse. I wasn’t much worried about having kittens though. Just to prove how bad I felt, I took castor oil and when I do that you can make up your mind I don’t feel so good. I think it is nice for other people to take and I enjoy giving it, but when I have to take it, it isn’t so appealing. Anyway I took it like the sweet little thing I am. I took it in capsule form and I didn’t even taste it. Don’t tell Lydia about this but I also took some peppermint. She was afraid I would develop the peppermint habit. I feel o.k. now but it was fun while it lasted.
I fear you aren’t training your child right. She should be in bed and asleep at 7:00 anyway. Look what happened to you just by staying up late nights.
Nope, I didn’t take any dancing lessons yet. I have good intentions but I never seem to be in the right mood on the right night or sompin’.
Gee, do we have the tough luck getting chased out of every place. Ed and Loretta fell asleep in Washington Park the other night and stayed until 3:00 with no interruptions.
Loretta has a letter here from Ed and if she knew that, she would have been home this noon. Tonight we can have an argument about who received the best letter.
Sounds to me like you celebrated after you got through election night. Your symptoms sound like a hangover to me. Come on, my sweet, don’t be holding out on me. Too bad Fran wasn’t around to feed you a bromo seltzer.
Lydia’s letter arrived today but I can’t be bothered answering it. There isn’t anything to write only that I’m not working and that’s an old story by now. You can tell her if you see her that I have had two letters from Mom this week.
Mom is going to send me some things to embroider. I haven’t finished my set yet but it’s all alike and I am sort of tired of it for the present. If I don’t see Lydia, tell her to send that pair of pillow cases and the floss to do them with and I’ll see what I can do.
Loretta and I may see “Broadway Gondolier” if she gets home early enough and isn’t too tired tonight. Last night when I went to the show the first person I ran into was Miss Harrington. Wouldn’t that be just my luck after staying in all the week. She probably thinks I am out all of the time.
Seems like I have written to my sweet nearly every day this week and it is hard to try and think of something to say.
Love,
“Me”
Footnotes
- A movie poster image for this was posted here, September 29, 1935.
- Slang name for an Italian person.