Monthly Archives: June 2011

July 7, 1925 (Ina)

Tuesday Nite
July 7, 1925

Dearest Walter:

It is now just past ten o’clock and you haven’t come yet. Wish I really could expect you.

I spent my birthday with Thelma and enjoyed it very much. We had baked chicken and dressing ‘n everything. By the way, Jim Young, the former Tax Collector who was my employer, had the nerve to bring me today a bouquet of old maids! Very appropriate, don’t you think?

This afternoon I heard Claudelle give the alarm, I rushed out in the yard where she was and found that she had cornered a big tarantula. I finally succeeded in finding the axe and, while Claudelle held it down (the tarantula, not the axe), I knocked it in the head. “Really, it was a perfectly lovely specimen, now don’t you think so?” I suppose Mrs. Roark doesn’t object to being quoted.

Mr. Savage called up this afternoon and renewed his date for tomorrow evening. I am going to be wishing for you then.

This is one of those beautiful moonlight, breezy nights that makes sitting in a porch swing of a country home with a Bird a night of perfect happiness and contentment. We have spent many of just such hours during the past two months, and I am so thankful for them. I think that they are just the beginning of a lifetime of companionship and happiness.

I can hardly wait for to-morrow as I feel sure that there will be a letter in the office for me from you.

No doubt you spent last evening with Alvis – I mean, Mr. Petit. I am sure you had a pleasant time after several weeks of separation.

I suppose you are on your way to Florida tonight. I hope you are having a pleasant trip. I think it would have been so pleasant for you and your family if you could have had the time to have spent a short while with them on your way over. However, I appreciate so very, very much the fact that you spent as long time as you did in Uvalde. I am sure they could not have enjoyed having you more than I did, and I hope they can forgive you and me.

It is getting late so I will write you more after I receive your letter to-morrow.

I still love you lots and lots and always will.

Always your
Ina.

Wednesday Nite
July 8, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

It is now twelve o’clock and Mr. Savage has just left, but I am determined that a date shall not interfere with my writing to you. I couldn’t help wishing for you every few minutes while he was here. He didn’t discover the ring until a short time before he left, but I don’t think he was surprised. He admired it very much, wished me all sorts of happiness and said that he wished he could have an opportunity to congratulate you etc. I probably will not see him again as he said he thought he would be leaving Uvalde County soon.

Your letter came this afternoon and I was almost “tickled to death” to get it because it seemed ages since I had seen you or heard from you. I enjoyed every word of it several times since I didn’t stop at reading it only once. I am going to live on letters and anticipation this summer.

I am glad everything is looking so well “at home.” I am anxious to see the pictures of it.

This afternoon Mama and I called on Mrs. Brown, the lady who lives on the ranch joining ours. She and Mr. Brown had called on us twice but it had been impossible to get Mama off until this afternoon. We enjoyed it very much as they are good friends of ours. They are special friends of Mr. and Mrs. Parman, and Miss Mary Brown was the young lady they invited to the barbecue for Mr. Dodd. You remember she was in San Antonio at the time.

Mama, Papa and Claudelle send best regards and say that they surely do miss you. Do you suppose I do too? “You bet!!!”

I love you lots and lots all the time.

Always your
Ina.

P.S. I surely do appreciate the literature you sent. I haven’t had time to read it yet, but am going to soon.

Love
Ina.

July 6, 1925

Monday Night

My Dear Little Girl,

Happy birthday and I hope you will live always; also hope that I’ll never die. Nothing of unusual interest occurred on the trip to Dallas. Made close connections at San Antonio, and arrived as per schedule. I packed nearly all day, but quit in time to see the house and to call on Mrs. Laake.

The house looks fine and Mrs. Goodman says she only hopes that they can stay there. She is afraid that I’ll want it for my wife. She has kept everything in excellent condition and the addition of pot plants and a couple of swinging baskets of vines add quite a little to the appearance of the porch. The lawn looks good, though she has had a fight with Johnson grass. I made a couple of Kodak pictures of it. Said she made some recently and hadn’t gotten the prints as yet. Had an invitation to eat dinner with them, but I had already phoned Mrs. Laake and she had asked me to eat with her.

July 6, 1925

July 6, 1925

Mrs. Laake wished that she had been with us on the 4th, and was pleased when I told her that you wished to be remembered to her. She served me a couple of bottles of Mr. Laake’s beer, some deviled eggs, fish and head lettuce, Swiss cheese sandwiches etc. I visited with her for about an hour and met her brother-in-law’s adopted daughter. Mrs. L. thinks that you are just about right. Nice, pretty, and everything. She was pleased when I told her. I believe you will like her.

This has been a mighty long day and night, due to the fact that I could not look forward to seeing you tonight. You don’t know how much I miss you, Dear, nor how much I would like to be with you. I’ll be mighty happy when I can have you with me always, and I only hope that I can make you happy. I love you lots more than you know.

Under separate cover I am mailing you the SS teacher book of which I told you, and also the laundry book I promised to locate.

It is 11 o’clock and I am going down town to post this, so I had better go.

Lots and lots of love.

Your
Walter.

July 5, 1925

Sunday Nite
July 5, 1925

My dearest Walter:

You don’t know what a queer feeling it gave me tonight to come home from church without you. This time last night we were having such a pleasant time. It hurt me like everything this afternoon to tell you “good-bye.” When you drove off I had such a lost, sinking feeling. A lump came in my throat, but I swallowed it because Mr. and Mrs. Parman were right there. They must have had an idea about it because Mrs. Parman made a few appropriate remarks about how lonesome I would be after you left etc.

July 5, 1925

July 5, 1925

By this time I am sure you have left San Antonio. Perhaps you are asleep as it is after eleven o’clock, and, knowing your never failing habit of retiring early, I am not a bit surprised. I hope you are having a pleasant trip. Altho I would have been so glad if the circumstances had been so that you coiuld have remained longer in Uvalde, I am glad you succeeded in making connections this afternoon.

No, the little Ford roadster didn’t come out this evening. I have just looked out of the door to see if I could see it but its chair is vacant. Merwin must have roped it and tied it securely, or would surely have been here by now.

I just had to write you a few words before going to sleep. I will write some more tomorrow.

I love you and love you and love you.

Good night and pleasant dreams.

Love,
Ina.

Monday Nite

Hello-o!

It is now eight o’clock – just about time for you to be coming in the gate saying that. I can almost hear you right now – wish I could.

Altho I have been busy at different things all day, the day has been uneventful, that is, as far as startling events are concerned. Time and again I have found myself looking at the clock to see how long it would be before time to dress for you to come. I think it will be some several days before I can get out of that habit.

Last night after church, when Claudelle, Lucile and I started to get in the car, we saw Mr. Owens and another young man parked near us. He came over, shook hands with us and talked a long time. The moon was bright, and finally he remarked pointing to my ring, “Please turn that thing around, it hurts my eyes.” I said “‘scuse me” and turned it on the inside of my hand. However, the other young man examined and admired it but said it was rather hard on Mr. Owens. Just about that time they discovered the baggage in the car. Altho they inquired the “why and wherefore” of it, I didn’t offer any explanation, so I suppose they thought it belonged to Lucile or someone else. By the way, I am still just as proud as can be of my birthday gifts from you. They are so pretty and useful and necessary too that I like to keep them out where I can see them every few minutes. I get most sweetly thrilled when I look at them and realize that before so terribly long I will be using them when you and I are making our trip. Yes, “the madam” (don’t you dare!!) still experiences lots of thrills even though her “beeswa_” ‘scuse me! I mean even though you are away and also, even though she has almost reached her twenty-sixth milepost. Ripe old age, don’t you think?

A short time after you left yesterday afternoon, I went over to see Thelma and Bob and stayed until League time. Thelma said that the other day she asked Thelma Lee if she had seen Ina’s ring. Whereupon she calmly, most seriously and simply answered “yes.” Thelma asked her if she thought it was pretty. Again the solitary word, “yes,” spoken in a sadder tone. Then she asked if she knew who gave it to me. “Yes, Mr. Dove.” Then Thelma very enthusiastically told her that it meant that Ina was going to marry Mr. Dove, they were going to be happy, and, incidentally, that they were going to move away from Uvalde. At that point Thelma Lee shocked her by breaking down and crying as though her heart would break. She kept it up continuously for at least twenty minutes, and nothing would quiet her. Thelma tried to make her laugh by telling her that your Mama and Papa lived a long way from you, that you were lonesome and needed someone to take care of you; that you needed someone to darn your socks and sew up your shirts, and since you thought I could do it better than anyone else you were going to marry me (you didn’t know that, did you?). That didn’t have the desired effect though, so she cried until she was about exhausted. Yesterday afternoon while I was there, she saw my ring, tears came into her eyes, she bit her lip, turned her head, and did everything she coiuld to keep from showing her feelings. It shocked me that a child her age would take anything like that so seriously and so much like a grown person. Of course it isn’t that she objects to you in the least, because you know what sentiments she has expressed about you many times before, but it is the idea of my leaving that concerns her so deeply.

Thelma Lee and Reitha are spending the night with us tonight while Thelma and Bob have gone to Eastern Star. They were by the desk where I am writing a moment ago and I told them I was writing to you. When I asked Thelma Lee what I should tell you for her she said “Tell him that we miss him and want him to come back soon. If he can come back day after tomorrow, tell him to come.” Reitha said “Tell ‘im dat I tank ‘em for divving me lots of shewin dum.” I hereby deliver the messages. Thelma Lee furthermore asked me if Mr. Dove knew how to read my letters. What she meant I don’t know, but I could have told her that you had taken a year’s correspondence course in it, and I believed you could almost pass an examination in that subject. However, if you think you will need any assistance I shall gladly render it personally in the Fall.

Walter, you don’t know how much I wish for you tonight. The moon is wonderful, and everything would be ideal if — Well, the moon will shine again, and you are coming back too, and then, won’t we be happy? I am happy now thinking of the past two wonderful months and of the many, many many happy months we have ahead of us, when we can be together always.

My, my, how I do love you!

Goodnight, bless your heart.

Lots of love,
Ina

June 19, 1925 (Walter 9pm)

Uvalde, Texas, Friday Nite 1925

My Dear Ina,

It is now about 9 o’clock and I have just returned from a little drive. I took myself out for a ride. Mrs. Hollifield says that I look lonesome. You have no idea how much I miss you nor how very much I would like to see you tonight. Seems like an awfully long time since I saw you, and I am wondering what I will do this summer. Your mother seems to miss you so much too. I would have gone out there again tonight but I don’t want to wear out my welcome.

June 19, 1925 (Walter 9pm)

June 19, 1925 (Walter 9pm)

I haven’t heard anything more of E. and Mrs. H., and I presume that I will not hear from either of them again. If I do, it will probably be in the nature of a “balling out.” By this time they probably realize that such a procedure does not get anything, for they have failed in the past. Mrs. H. is naturally of a domineering type and as long as I was in Aberdeen, I never crossed her. E has an idea that she can get anything she goes after, and I don’t believe there is another person in the world who would have come to Texas (without knowing where they were going) except herself. She had an idea that she would give me a surprise visit and that everything would be fixed up. Please understand that she and I “severed diplomatic relations” several months ago and that in the meantime I have not heard from her. Had three letters from her mother and I have told you about them. My answers were anything but polite, and she said they made her sick. I did not sympathize with her in either of them. She always feels so sorry for herself. I wonder what she will tell her friends in Aberdeen as they will ask about me, but I’ll not let this worry me. Most of them know her as well as myself.

I guess this is enough of my experiences. I wanted you to know and I feel better when I have told you. Please don’t let any of it worry you, for I love you more than I can tell you and nothing will come between us. I am mighty glad that we understand each other and that it is possible for me to see you again after this happened. I am sure that you will feel all right about it when you know all about it. If it is not clear in a letter, I can tell you when you return. Remember that I love you and only you and that nothing will come between us if I can have anything to do to prevent it.

With a real sweet goodnight and assuring you that I am real anxious to see you again, I am, with all my love, Dear,

Your
Dove

P.S. As you leave there Monday AM I would not have time to get another letter to you.

June 19, 1925 (Ina)

Friday Afternoon
June 19, 1925.

Dearest Walter:

You see, I did succeed in borrowing a fountain pen.

Your letter came this morning at the breakfast table, and you don’t know how much better the cold toast and raw eggs tasted after reading it. But the way, I believe I enjoy my meals more than any other “service” we have. They are certainly nothing to boast of but I think the reason I enjoy them so thoroughly is because they are the only thing we don’t have to take notes on. Yes, Claudelle’s appetite has improved wonderfully too. She eats all they give her and sings for more. At the present moment she is enjoying “College Humor.” They are not working us so hard today, so I think I can find time to read some too.

June 19, 1925 (Ina)

June 19, 1925 (Ina)

You may rest assured that I sleep well. No amount of heat can keep me from that. I don’t get to sleep until about 11:30, but that is early, isn’t it?

I am heartily ashamed of myself for complaining about anything here, and I’ll take it all back. I think they do wonderfully well to have things arranged as well as they have. I think the real trouble with me is that my heart is in Uvalde. It is still there, but I am enjoying the services here much better now than at first. They really are wonderful, and I consider myself fortunate in having an opportunity to take part in them. Never-the-less, I shall be most happy when we are homeward bound. I would be so glad if you could be [now in pencil] (the borrowed pen and ink gave out) here to go back with us, but that would be a long way for you to come just for that. The girls here like you so much (A lady just came in, and, since my bed is almost under the shelf where the water is, she accidentally poured some in my lap. Hence the blots), that I am sure they would be delighted to have you go back with us. Anyhow, I surely am looking forward to seeing you Monday after we return. I can hardly wait.

I like your friend, Mr. Petit. I feel like I have known him before, but I suppose that is because I have heard you speak of him so much. I would enjoy having him come out this week. I enjoyed the drive Tuesday afternoon with you all so much. You are so thoughtful and nice that you know just what to do to make people comfortable and happy. I love you for that and everything else.

It is now 3:15 and we are supposed to be at the tabernacle in fifteen minutes to have our pictures taken and I haven’t dressed yet.

Wish I could see you now.

Claudelle appreciated the “sisterly” love, and sends her “brotherly” in return. And I send mine which is neither sisterly nor brotherly.

We appreciate your going out to see Mama. I know they enjoyed having you. Tell Thelma Lee and Reitha hello for us when you see them. I am sending them cards this afternoon.

I love you.

Ina.

June 19, 1925 (Walter)

Uvalde Friday A.M.

My Dear Ina,

I did not write you last night as a letter would not go to San Antonio until this afternoon, so I waited until this morning. You don’t have any idea how much I missed you last night and in fact ever since I left the camp. I certainly enjoyed your letter this morning and it came at a time when I wanted one. I realize how difficult it is for you to write while there and I appreciate your efforts and the fact that you missed the hike in order to write to me. It was mighty sweet of you, Dear.

June 19, 1925 (Walter)

June 19, 1925 (Walter)

Have something to tell you but please do not let it worry you, for you are everything to me. Mrs. H. and Evalyn went to Dallas and E. wired me from there yesterday A.M. I ignored the telegram. In the afternoon I had another one intended for me at Regan Wells. She said that Bishopp advised her to wire me up there. He evidently thought that I had gone up to help Mr. Laake during Brundrette’s absence. She stated she was anxious to see me and wanted to know if they should come to Uvalde. I answered it “would advise you not to come to Uvalde.” Don’t let this worry you, Dear, for you have already known about everything. They thought I was in Dallas, and I had no news that they were coming. I don’t believe they will come down here, but if they do, the reception will be a cold one for them. I have not heard from E. for several months when we busted up, and have only had the letters from Mrs. H. which you know about. When I answered them I was very plain to her in telling her that there could never be anything but friendship between E. and I. I will probably get a letter telling me how mean I am, but I have gotten to the point that I do not care how mean they think I am. I cannot be courteous to them and have them feel that I am through.

Will write you again tonight. With all my love,

Your,
Bird.