December 18, 1944

Somewhere in Belgium

My Dearest Little Wife,

            Hello my Darling, yes I’ve been still thinking of you constantly and loving you more each day.  My love shall never cease increasing for you Pheety as you are what I’m living and fighting for.  You’re my life Darling and you must take good care of yourself so I’ll have you when I come back.

            We’ve moved again Darling and quite a long drive this time, yes I’m somewhere in Belgium now and I’d sure like to tell you what’s going on and what I’m seeing, I’d like to tell you what war is really like but we’ll have months to talk about that after I get back, won’t we Pheety.

            I still haven’t received any of your mail since Oct. 28th but I did get a V-mail from my mother yesterday dated Dec. 3rd.  This letter Darling brought a terrible shock to me and it hardly seems true, it was about your Dad and Darling I feel so sorry for you, your mother and the girls.  You all have my sympathy Margaret and you know there’s no way I can express in a letter my sympathy as much as I could tell you personally.  I don’t know what I’ll do without your Dad when I come back, things just aren’t going to be the same Pheety.  Every time I think about your Dad it seems more like a dream to me.  I have so much on my mind all the time and I’m always so busy and tired that when I hear news like this it just don’t seem true.

Mother never tells me much about you in her letters cause today I got two from her dated Nov. 28th and Nov. 22nd and I just had to guess from what she said about you.  She said in her letter of Nov. 22nd that you called her from Belften and that if you got a job in Springfield you could come to Marysville on the bus and they would meet you.  Well on second thought it really isn’t much guess work, cause if you’re looking for a job I know you’ve left St. Paul for good.  I suppose if it hadn’t been for your Dad you’d still be up there.  And I suppose you’ll have to stay home and help out that much more now.  I feel so sorry for you and your mother I just don’t know what to say Pheety. I imagine your mother will move off the farm so Sam can let some one else run it. 

            I’ll be so glad when I hear from you so I’ll know what’s going on and if you still love me.  Do you Pheety?  One thing mother said in her letter of December the 3rd I got yesterday, she told me she and Dad went to the funeral and that you were really looking good which Darling I sure was glad to hear.  But about your Dad, it just won’t seem true ‘til I come home and not find him there. There’s one thing I regret the most Darling and I’m not being angry either, but I guess our hopes are gone now as far as saving money for when I come home.  Since your mother won’t get the income from your Dad’s job and maybe not even the farm any more I imagine she’ll need your and Betty’s help through you girls’ allotments.  I suppose it can’t be helped but that’s the way life goes I guess.  What’s most important is, that I find that same little Pheety I left back in St. Paul.  You’re all I have Darling and you mean more to me than all the money in the world.  If you can though I wish you would try to save some money so we’ll have something to start on when I get back.

I hope your mother still don’t have to take care of Bob’s kids cause that’s going to cost double and Pheety you and I will never have anything to save.  If your mother needs your help I think now is a good time to get even for their keeping us after we were married, that is a good way to show our appreciation.  But if you have to give out extra because of Bob’s kids, then is when my worries start.  The kids can’t help it and I feel for them in a big way, it’s the principle that Bob and Etta uses.  They’re married and it’s up to them to look after them, not shove their burdens on someone else.  Remember you’re my wife Pheety and if you love me you won’t mention these things to your mother.  She may not take it the way I mean it.  I know you’ll agree with me as you always have when we’ve talked about where the kids belong.

If you only knew how much I worry about you Darling and what all you have to do if you have to help look after those kids.  It’s not right and there’s a place for them, Bob and Etta want to run around and [forget] the kids.  Of course I may be talking out of turn cause by now they may have the kids with them.  I hope so.  I feel just the same for your mother as I do you so God Bless You both and the best of luck til I come home.  You’ve both gone through a lot losing your Dad and I was just as shocked as you.  I don’t want you to have to have any hardships of other people burdened on you folks shoulders at home, that’s why I mentioned about the kids.  I hope you understand Darling and I too will understand more when I hear from you.

Now that we’ve rejoined the rest of our outfit here in Belgium we’re getting our mail.  I hope I get a lot of your back mail tomorrow—the mail clerk told me today that he sent four bags of mail to where us few fellos were stationed a few days before we left there to come to Belgium.  Now they’ll have to send it back up here since we moved out before our mail got there.  So in a few days we’ll get it and he said I had lots of mail.  Probably all your back mail of late Sept. and all of October. Oh Darling I’ll be so glad to hear from you and read that sweet way you have of [expressing your love] to me in your letters.  Pheety I could write better letters than I do if my mind was more alert and I wasn’t so busy.  Everything is in a turmoil all the time and I have to write fast to get a letter off to you.  Perhaps I write so fast to you sometimes that I say things I shouldn’t but you know me well enough as to how I mean things when I say them.

            Oh yes, I got a lovely Xmas present from the New York Central System.  It was a pen and pencil set, sure is nice all but the pen, see how the dam thing writes.  If this pen wrote as good as it looked it would be a wonder.

            Just think Darling, seven more days til Xmas and oh how I’d love to be with you then, even right now.  And to think I’ve been wearing your bracelet since the last of October.  But I’ve been enjoying it, I look at it everyday and turn it over and read the lovely words on the back.  I think of all we’ve ever did Darling when I look at that bracelet.  It looks so good on my wrist as it matches my ring, it’s sterling silver too.

            I hope you get your package o.k.

            Well I suppose all my mail to you has been forwarded from St. Paul since that’s where I thought you were all the time.  My mother just mentioned enough in her two letters yesterday and today that I could learn where you were and how you were.  I can’t wait til I hear from you and find out when you left St. Paul and how you went home, train or bus.  I just like to know everything my Pheety does.  Why not, she’s all I have.  I bet Mrs. Andredson is getting tired forwarding your mail but after this letter she’ll get a rest won’t she.  Ha.

            I forgot to tell you I got a Christmas card from Mrs. Short.  Please tell her how I appreciated it til I can find the time to write her.

            Well Darling since it sounds like you were hunting a job in Springfield I hope you had good luck.  I would rather you had a job in Belften, but there’s not much there.  Springfield is so wild and I hope you love me enough to stay away from your old hang-outs.  You know how I feel about you going into night clubs without me don’t you Pheety.  It’s no place for a woman without an escort and you wouldn’t want an escort if you couldn’t have me, would you Darling.

            Remember I trust you Margaret cause you’re a married woman now and not a girl godding places all hours of the night ha.  I just want to know my Pheety’s off the streets at night and home where she’s safe from all harm.  You know how the prowlers were in St. Paul and Springfield is just as bad if not worse.  Remember the night we stayed in the St. Francis hotel in Springfield.  It would have been a great place for you to go alone wouldn’t it.

            Well Darling my time is getting short and I’m so tired, I hope I hear from you tomorrow and I will also try to write you.

            Tell your mother I extend my sincere sympathy to her as well as you and that I wish her all the luck in the world which she deserves.  God Bless you all and may the days of the coming New Year be brighter.—Be a good little girl my love and remember you have your most loved one far away but his heart is right there with you this very moment.  Yours is with me Pheety and it’s there to stay—Forever!  Remember you once said we’re far away in body but our hearts are close together.  “Never forget that,” you said and you see I haven’t Darling.  Never will I forget those words, NEVER!

            Till I hear from you Darling here’s all my love and kisses and I love you with all my heart more and more each day!  May God keep you safe as he has me.  You’re precious Pheety and I pray you’re well all the time.

P.S.  I just happened to think—I’m sorry I never took you to any dances in St. Paul, as you love to dance so well.  Don’t write and tell me now that old “Jody Grinder” (what the army calls 4-F’s back home.)  is laying his hand around your lovely waist at a dance hall when you and Peg go out.  Remember my Darling, I’m not lucky enough to be there to dance with you.  Should anyone else have that privilege when I’m so far away that I’m lucky to even get a letter from you.  And at the same time (and it’s time) I’m on the alert 24 hrs. a day trying keep em rolling over here.

            I haven’t accused you of anything Margaret, I just want you to know how I feel about YOU!  AND WHY?—CAUSE YOU’RE MY WIFE PHEETY AND YOU’RE THE ONLY PHEETY IN THIS WORLD!  AND THIS PHEETY BELONGS TO ME!

            See you in a letter tomorrow Pheety, I hope.

            I love you again Darling and remember I’ll be seeing you soon (latest rumor).

            All my love and kisses to just you

                                                                        Your, Dumplin

 

P.S. NOTICE

            NEW A.P.O. NUMBER AGAIN 228—DON’T FORGET IT SO I’LL GET YOUR MAIL SOONER.