Letter
#13.
February 25, 1943.
Thursday Evening.
My sweetheart,
If you
received the letter I wrote Monday (V mail), you know that on Monday I received
two letters from you, dear. One was #1 for Feb., written the 4th,
and postmarked the 9th, and the other was #2 for Feb., written the 6th,
and postmarked the 13th. The former was censored, but nothing cut
out, and the latter was not censored. I received three letters for the month of
January, by the way. However, from one or two references in your letters, I
think you must have written a fourth letter in January, which I have not yet
received, but which will probably get here some day.) Today I received two
envelopes by free mail—one containing three papers, and the other had two. Both
envelopes were postmarked Feb. 6th, and both had been censored, but
hey got here all right. I will read them later tonight, probably after I get in
bed. It is such a thrill every time I hear from you, dearest, and I enjoy the
papers, too.
Last night
was a card party at the Parish House. Grandma paid for a table, and told me to
use it. I was going to ask Dolores, Betty Constine,
and Eleanor Davis. But with First Aid class, and Nutrition classes, and bandage
making all being held then, I was forced to change my plans. So I asked
Dorothy, Hope, and Laura. I didn’t know at first whether or not to ask Dorothy,
as I had only talked to her once over the phone since she had seen the doctor
and knew for sure that she was pregnant. But she said she was feeling fine, and
would like to go, and of course she doesn’t show it yet. So we had a lot of
fun. None of us won a prize for cards, although Laura did win a door prize---a
pretty chromium dish with a cover. It was a nice party, and there was quite a
crowd there. I understand that they made over $60.00, and before all the money
is in, too. So the final figure ought to be pretty good.
Upstairs on
the stage, in the Parish House, they have erected an altar, and have chairs on
the stage, and have made sort of a little chapel, and are going to have the
week-day services there, to save heating the church when only a few people
come. And thus save fuel. And soon they hope to have a choir room fixed down in
the basement of the church itself. At present, the piano, which used to be up
on the stage in the Parish House, is in the south-east corner of the upstairs,
there.
I hope this
time that Dorothy won’t have any trouble and any more mis-carriages. How many has it been---three or four, I think. And I understand that
she and Don have been trying for some time to have a baby, but didn’t know
whether or not it would be possible after the operation she had last year. The
doctor said he did not know. But now he tells her that if she takes it easy and
gets thought the fourth month all right, she will probably be all right the
rest of the time. So she is being careful, and has about two more months to go
before the first four will be up. Personally, however, I think this is a
terrible time to have children, although as always happens in war time, the birth
rate is rising. But everyone is under a nervous strain, as everyone has someone
in the service, and it is hard on the mother and baby both. And also, no one is
living a normal life, with part of their families away from home, and the rest
of the members of the family working odd hours a day in defense industries. And
I feel very strongly that everyone, -men, women, and children,-
should all do their part in helping the war effort and ending this war as soon
as possible. Then after the men are home again and we have a free country in
which to bring up children, then will be a better time to have children.
Everything is so uncertain now. I wish I knew when it would all end, and you
would be coming back to me.
Tuesday
evening, I went over to your dad’s and mother’s house for dinner.
Your father
picked me up after work, and I rode over with him. Their new piano is so nice,
and just fits in there nicely, and the new chair and the sofa (or should I call
it a davenport) are lovely. It is a big improvement, and changes the whole
appearance or the room, and by getting out those two big pieces of furniture
that they had down south, and getting out one of the numerous tables, there is
a lot more space in their living room, and it doesn’t look so cluttered up. It
is really grand. After we finished eating and doing the dishes, we went over to
Dorothy’s and Don’s, as I had seen the house from the outside, but had never
been inside.
Their house
is very nice and comfortable, though it is not as large as it looks from the
outside. They have a big living room, about as wide as ours is where the bay
window sticks out, and I think it is a little longer than ours too, although
the small sun parlor which is on the end of the living room, gives it an
appearance of greater length than it really has. The dining room is quite
small, and the kitchen is medium size. Upstairs are three bedrooms, and a big
bathroom. The room Bobby has at present is going to be used for a nursery, and
they are going to sell the bedroom suite in Don’s room, and put Bobby in there.
Then Don and Dorothy will have to share the same room. Won’t that be awful for
Don? But they have bought twin beds, so that they won’t have to sleep together.
I’m afraid that twin beds will make their room rather crowded, but that is not
my business. The beds are to be delivered sometime soon, but I presume that Don
will stay in his own room just as long as possible. I’m glad that you are not
like that, darling. I feel terribly lonesome each night when I get into bed all
alone.
The house
is hot air heat, and takes quite a bit of coal, but that may be due to the fact
that the ceilings are rather high. Of course, they are not as high as those in
this house, but they are higher than those in our house or those in your folks’
house. They have a good-sized clothes closet in each bedroom, a linen closet,
and a closet for coats downstairs. They are going to have the two big pieces of
furniture that your folks brought up from the south and don’t use any more, as
I mentioned above. Dorothy and Don are having those two large pieces
recovered---the couch in red, and the chair in blue, and are going to get rid
of their outer suit that they now have.
I figured
out our income tax, and Mr. Riley figured it out, and our answers agree, so it
must be right. Everyone is going to pay their federal tax one quarter at a
time, because there is talk that maybe part of the tax will be dropped, and a
new pay-as-you-go plan adopted. But nothing has been decided as yet, and no one
knows just what will be done. I understand that the state tax this year won’t
be very much, but I haven’t seen the blanks yet. And I’m not absolutely sure
what our federal tax will be, because I don’t have the papers here where I
figured it out. But tomorrow I am going to stop in Mr. Riley’s office, and sign
the return, and will bring the original and the carbon copy and the figures
home with me, and the next time I write, I’ll tell you the amount. But it is
not very much, and as you said in your letter, no matter how much it is, we will
be glad to pay them to help finance the war and get it over with. And the sooner the better.
I’m glad
you received the second Christmas package from me. And I presume you have
received the packages from the rest of the people now---one from your folds,
one from Dorothy, Bobby, and Don, one from the Foley’s, and I think one from
the
And
speaking of the
I’m glad to
know that your cold is about gone. Don’t catch another one.
I wish I
knew when you were coming home, so I would have something more definite to look
forward to. But as it is, I realize no one knows, so I just go along from day
to day, just waiting for your letters, and living for the happy years that will
be in store for us after your return, dearest. I’m looking forward so eagerly
to the time when we will be together again. And I pray that it will be not too
far in the future.
All my love
and kisses to you, my darling sweetheart. I’m so very proud of you, honey. And
I also know that you are the most wonderful husband in the whole world. I pray
for your safety and speedy return several times each day, and you are always in
my thoughts, dearest. I love you with
all my heart.
Very
affectionately,
Your
loving and devoted wife,
Jeanette.