Tuesday September 7, 1943

 

My dearest Hal,

            It has been so nice to hear from you several times last week and then again yesterday. I can reassure you on one point. I will not be teaching. If the thoughts of my doing it have worried you I am terribly sorry. I would not willingly cause you any anxiety. Mr. Tilkeson is desperately hard up for teachers. He has been forced to hire high school graduates and teachers whose certificates expired a long time ago. He makes me feel I’m not very patriotic when I refuse.

            I really am needed right here at home, but I don’t intend to say I wouldn’t love to have the money. I am desperately anxious to buy as many bonds as you do and I would also like to pay for the treatments Sam and I are taking for our hay fever. They have helped us wonderfully but I hate for you to have to pay for them.

            I hope it will save us just as much if I can learn to sew and cook and manage as well as Mother does. I continue to be amazed at the way she manages in spite of rationing and high prices to set a grand table and to spend such a moderate amount to do it. I hope I can learn to do as well.

            As for your worrying that I might be teaching and couldn’t go with you when you come home I want you to understand this very clearly. Nothing less than a broken leg is going to keep me from seeing you at the first possible moment. I would of course just give up any job I might happen to have and I am sure it would be best for me not to have one since I feel as I do. We won’t have as much money but I’m sure we can be happy on very little if we can be together so I am not worrying over that.

            Yesterday being Labor Day, Peggy was at home, and as we are still in the midst of having the floors sanded and the noise and dust make it almost impossible to stay here, we decided we would go swimming. The pleasure ban has been lifted but the hitch is no one has much gas so we still can’t do much going. We did however take Sam and four other children out to the lake yesterday. They had a beautiful time especially Sam. He is a friendly little boy but he doesn’t have an opportunity to play with other children as much as I could wish. I can’t let him loose to walk up and down the road and go to the Draft alone so he really needs to play more with children. He has played some with Grace Forrer’s children, but they are conscience objectors and I think the association is not too good so I have discouraged it.  Believe me no member of this family has anything good to say about C.O.’s.

            I do believe we are finally going to have a rain. We need one so badly. There have been good rains in both Staunton and Waynesboro but we haven’t been so lucky and are terribly dry here. 

            I have heard nothing from Nana for several days.  She was a little better the last time I called Sara. I hate to call her when she is working and she promised to let me know if there was any change.

            You said I was not to bother about renewing your magazine subscriptions. I am sorry but I had already done it before I got your letter so I guess we’ll have to let it go. I hope you will get some of them anyway. Have you been getting the American? I sent that one too. I don’t seem to remember you mentioning having gotten that one.

            I hope you are right about being able to come home in two years. It seems like two million. I am thankful I didn’t know when you left how long it would be because I don’t believe I could have stood it. Sam and I are more anxious to see you with each passing day. Please believe that I don’t ever want to do something that you wouldn’t approve of. I only considered it because I thought it might help out with the budget. I have felt real well lately but that is because I rest a lot and sleep a lot and don’t run around. You will never know how much I miss you, but maybe you can guess.

 

                                                                                    All my love,

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