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November 2, 1925

Tuesday (It’s Monday tho) Nite.
Nov. 2, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

Yours of the “dark night” and Friday night came this afternoon, and they afforded me more pleasure than anything had since I received your last letter. Yes, Dear, I’ll be glad to help you with your letter writing after we are married. I think that will be fun. I’ve gotten so I love to write letters.

November 2, 1925

November 2, 1925

Sweetheart, Sunday evening my battery gave me another scare. I thought it had done what it said before it was going to do – died. I rushed out to the car in a great big hurry to get to the church a little early in order to practice a duet another girl and I were going to sing at League, I stepped on the starter and it – well, you know that sickening groan it gives when something is wrong, but it refused time after time to turn. Papa came to the rescue and cranked ‘most all his breath away, but there didn’t seem to be a spark of life left (in the car, not in Papa). We left it and resorted to the Ford. It did the same way. Finally though, it seemed to realize the desperateness of the situation (you know Fords are always so sympathetic) so it yielded to the crank. By the time I was about halfway in town, I realized that there must be something almost flat about the tire, but I was afraid to look. I finally took a peep though and saw that the left rear wheel looked awfully mushy but not entirely so. Pretty soon though that convincing “swish, swish” and a knock brought me to a standstill. In spite of the fact that I had never before changed a tire, and also that I was in a desperate hurry, and, worst of all, that I was wearing for the first time a perfectly new dress on which I had labored many many hours while making – in spite, I say, of all these entirely good reasons why I should be allowed to travel unmolested, I had to step right out, remove my coat, roll up my sleeves, make a great big wish for someone to come right away quick, and begin. I got out the right tools, (I know they were right because the man used every one of them later), jacked up the wheel and had some of those little … nuts unscrewed when a gallant young man (married) came to the rescue. While I sent forth a sigh of relief and many words of thanks, his experienced hands did the work. It was soon finished, and, with a final crank, he sent me on my way rejoicing and feeling very thankful that all the people on earth didn’t happen to be women (I think we both thought that). Later, the mechanic discovered that my battery was good yet, and the trouble was a bad connection. He fixed that in a few minutes, so everything’s lovely.

No doubt this is what you would call a “garage letter,” but I love you even though I did spend most of the time on flat tires.

With lots and lots of love, I am,

Always, your loving,
Ina.

November 1, 1925

Jax Beach, Sunday Nite.

My Dear Sweetheart,

It has been a bit cold yesterday and today. It started a few days ago, then rained, and now we have some wind and damp weather. Have had on winter suit and sweater, for I do some work on the porch which is screened. When I have dissections to make or vessels to sterilize, I go out there.

November 1, 1925

November 1, 1925

The paper says that there are between three thousand and thirty-five hundred people living at the beach this winter. Before last winter there were usually about three hundred. At night I note that most of the houses are lighted. The stands on the board walk are closed with the exception of about two, but there are three restaurants open. The two meat markets, bakery, drug store, and three or four grocery stores are all open. When the weather is nice the crowds still come down on Sat and Sun. Today it is too cold for bathing, but there are a bunch of cars on the beach and I note that the life saving crew are out there in bathing suits and sweaters. There are a couple of girls in the crew and they are said to be good.

I have worked most all day but not steady. I had some stuff in the traps this morning which needed attention so I brought it in and have taken care of the material. It takes quite a while to dissect, fix, preserve and stain the stuff. It is a long tedious job, but I usually have several lots going at one time. At the same time I have cultures of living material which need attention. These are kept in an improvised incubator, consisting of a wood box heated with an electric light bulb.

Mrs. McDonald is living here yet. The people who looked at her cottage, offered the $3500 which she asked for the place but wanted to pay $1000 down. She would have taken this, but the prospect wanted immediate possession or $30 per month rent. If she had wanted possession in the spring Mrs. Mc would have sold it. Instead she asked one-half cash. The prospect did not return. I guess the place is not sold yet. Mrs. Mc hesitates in selling it for her husband does not have a place for her at West Palm Beach. It is practically impossible to get living quarters down there and stay within his income which is $10 to $11 per day for 8 hrs work. He wrote that he would probably come here for a few days Christmas. He may find a place for her before that time, in which event she will go down. She expects to go to work in Jax or may be St. Augustine before very long. She is very ambitious and can’t find enough to keep her busy. Since she has been at home, I have been eating here. It is much better than restaurant cooking and I don’t lose but a few minutes at meal time. She is a good cook, and unusually neat in keeping house.

I’ll be mighty glad, Dear, when we are in a place of our own and located so that we can fix things to suit ourselves. I have been wondering about how I could show you about when we are here together. If Mrs. Mc goes she will probably take her car with her. I want you to know the layout of Jax and vicinity before we pick what we want. Of course we can’t get definitely located in our own place until we return after June 1st, but we might find what we want before that time and have it ready. We may have to build a place as the question of getting living quarters is getting rather serious. Jax is getting in on the boom in great shape and it looks as though most every place will be filled.

I love you, Dear, with all my heart and I want you. I hope that I can take care of you to the extent that you will not regret your choice.

With a sweet goodnight

Your,
Walter.

October 31, 1925 (Ina)

Saturday Nite
Hallowe’en.

My dearest Sweetheart:

It has just struck twelve and I’m sleepy, but I want to tell you that I love you, love you and love you.

Mama and I have just returned from the League Hallowe’en party, and “Spooks” didn’t get us on our way home either. We rather expected to find a flat tire or something when we started to get in the car, but everything was unmolested. Somehow, the party was not much of a success. You have been to places where everyone just naturally had a good time without half trying, while you have been to other places where everything that was said and done sounded wrong and looked wrong and hit cold. The latter was the case tonight, and for the sole and simple reason that there were two young ladies (about fifteen years old) who wanted to be “different” by throwing cold water on all the entertainment that was attempted. They didn’t want to have a good time, and seemed determined to see that no one else did. You know there is nothing that kills the spirit of fun in a crowd more quickly than that. I felt so sorry for the girl who had charge of the entertainment for the evening. This was only the second time she had served in that capacity, and she feels that she is a miserable failure now, even though she has worked so awfully hard on this party for this evening. I have never seen anyone look more discouraged and disgusted than she did a few minutes ago.

October 31, 1925 (Ina)

October 31, 1925 (Ina)

Excuse this outburst, but I had it in my system, so I feel better now.

Sweetheart I didn’t write you last night because it rained yesterday and I didn’t get the letter of the night before mailed. I thought of you just the same though.

Mama and I didn’t go in town this evening before the post office closed, but I had phoned Bob and asked him to get our mail and carry it to his house so we could get it tonight. He did and we did (get the mail I mean), and that nice long letter of yours was the greatest treat I could have next to being with you in person. Sweetheart, I enjoyed it so much, and I’ll write you more about it tomorrow (I mean today – it is almost 12:30 now).

I love you, Dear, bless your heart! – just more and more and more.

Your sleepy
Ina.

Sunday Afternoon.
Nov. 1, 1925.

Dearest Sweetheart:

Here goes the second installment.

I, too, was surprised to know that Mr. Pettit was married. You can’t “always sometimes” tell, can you, what is going to happen. I am wondering if she happened to be a nurse in the sanitarium in Legion and the romance began there, or she may have been someone he knew before going there. At any rate, I sincerely hope they will be happy.

Sweetheart, I have never had anyone else tell me I was unusually sensitive, but I may be. We’ll take it for granted that I am though, and forget it. I’m awfully sorry I created such a misunderstanding but it’s all over now. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be on “needles and pins” for fear I will take “a fence” about anything, because I’m going to be good from now on. I’ll prove to you that I’m not hard to get along with.

You were writing about someone for Best man in the wedding. I’m sorry Mr. Pettit married so soon because I think it would be fine to have him. It would be fine to have Mr. Parman if he were not married, but, Dear, you see, the Best Man is supposed not to have a wife because the Maid of Honor is unmarried. He will enter the church with you, but, after we meet at the altar and the ceremony is performed, he will march out with the Maid of Honor (who is to be Claudelle) and you and I will go together. You see, if he were married, it wouldn’t be exactly right. Perhaps your brother (if he will be here) or Mr. Poole or someone else would be all right. Of course that is entirely with you, Dear. Anyone you choose will suit me fine. My, I get so enthusiastic when we begin planning about the wedding! Sweetheart, I’m so happy.

I love you worlds and worlds all the time.

Always, your own loving
Ina.

October 30, 1925

Jax Beach, Fla.
Friday Night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I have not been to the post office today, but will go when I have finished this little letter. I have no news, Dear, but simply want to say that I love, love, love you and I am anxious to have you with me.

With a sweet goodnight,

Your,
Walter.

October 30, 1925

October 30, 1925

October 29, 1925 (Walter)

I don’t know whether this is Wed or Thurs Nite.
Anyway it’s dark.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I have been so interested in my work that the past two days have gone by so quickly that I didn’t realize it. I did not intend to let yesterday get by without writing to you but it was so late Dear, that I went right to sleep. Maybe you think that I am a poor sweetheart, but I have been so interested in my work. You are the only one I have written to for quite a while. I should write several letters but it seems a loss of time to write to anyone except you. Last winter I did the same thing and my mother wrote to Mr. Bishopp to find out where I was. When you are with me Dear I’ll have to wish some of my letter writing onto you. There won’t be much of it, because I am getting to the point where I have very few to write.

October 29, 1925 (Walter)

October 29, 1925 (Walter)

I am glad that you are over your blues, Dear, and I hope you realize that it was just a play on your imagination. It is very difficult to get mail or to send letters from southern Florida. I just received yours of the 19th, which makes about 10 or 11 days.

I am doing quite a little staining and microscopic work just now and it takes an awful lot of time to get anything accomplished. The material is so small that it is quite different from what any of our men are doing. I have to try methods on fresh material to get a technique as it is just a little different. Dr. White has written about how he is working on the other stuff, but it doesn’t help me any. I haven’t told him anything about what I am working on here, for I wouldn’t gain anything to do it.

I love you Dear and I wish I could be near enough to tell you all about it. With a sweet goodnight.

Always your
Walter.

October 29, 1925 (Ina)

Thursday Nite.
Oct. 29, 1925.

My dearest Sweetheart:

Your nice long letter of Sunday A.M. came today and I have read it over and over and then some more. It made me feel awfully good to have you assure me that you do love me as much as ever, and you may rest assured that I enjoyed every minute of the letter. I had already decided, since I wrote you that almost heartbroken letter, that I was really mistaken because yours since then have already contradicted the feeling that kept insisting on taking possession of me. Sweetheart, I don’t believe in nor practice creating a big stir about nothing, but wrote you because I felt that way and wanted to know, and I certainly would want you to do the same way by me if you felt that way. Forgive me for it this time, please, and I’ll promise to try to never do it again any more.

October 29, 1925 (Ina)

October 29, 1925 (Ina)

No, Dear, Miss Hulett did not write a word to me. However had she done it, I would certainly have believed you in preference to her. I will say for her, though, that she is a most perservering young lady. Really, Sweetheart, do you think she loves you as much as she thinks she does? You know, true love is unselfish, and she doesn’t seem to feel that way. Even though I love you better than anyone else on earth, and it would just nearly – Oh, I don’t know what I would do if I should lose you – if I should find that you no longer loved me, I wouldn’t want you to marry me! I would, of course, first find out if it was my fault and if I had done something wrong, I’d do my best to right it, or, if there was a misunderstanding I’d do all in my power to explain it. If, however after all this was done, you still didn’t love me and especially if you loved someone else, I’d pass out of your life so quickly, so thoroughly and so completely that you would never be bothered with me again – nor would my ghost haunt you – no, not even on Hallowe’en! Of course I’m not expecting such an occasion to arise – absolutely no! It hurts to even think of such a thing.

I know, Sweetheart, that some of your letters have been short, but so have mine. I haven’t any room to talk there. I think it was principally because I couldn’t find out anything much about when you were coming or anything, and the indefiniteness of it all made me feel that perhaps you were not as much interested in it as you were at first. We didn’t have any cross words though, and we are not going to, are we?

I had quite a long letter from Mr. McCreless (the young minister) today, and he seems to be very enthusiastic over his work and life in general. He is in Ashbury College at Wilmore, Ky. this session.

I’ve been wondering if you have had to move yet. I hope it will not be necessary since you are so well pleased with your present location. You know, Dear, I really think it is nice that we are not going to move into a home of our own immediately after we are married. Since we are not, we will have a better opportunity to look around and see what we think will be best. Then, after we have decided, I think we will be better satisfied than if we had moved in a permanent home at once. I am not worrying at all about the “running around” that we are expecting to do when we are first married, because I think we will enjoy it (I know I will if you are there), and then we will appreciate a house of our own more when we do get it. No matter where we go, I am sure we are going to be happy.

With a new resolution to avoid all misunderstandings, and with worlds of love, I am,

Always, your
Ina.

October 28, 1925 (Ina)

Wednesday Nite.
Oct. 28, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

No letter today, but I’m hoping I’ll get a nice long one tomorrow.

This has been the coldest day we have had this season. There has been a stiff honest-to-goodness norther blowing all day and it looks as though it might snow any minute – of course it won’t though. It seems unusually cold because it was so long coming. That is the reason we notice the winters here so much – it is realy cold one day and perhaps regular summer weather the next. We don’t get adjusted to one before the other extreme hits us. Is it really as warm on the Beach now as you expected? I was wondering if it was warm enough every day now to go in the surf. I hadn’t heard you mention going in in quite a while, and I wondered if it was too cool. I imagine it is very delightful down there in the winter even though it might be too cool at times to go in the surf. I feel like we are going to be so happy there together this winter.

October 28, 1925 (Ina)

October 28, 1925 (Ina)

Papa says that today has been a fine one for hunting ducks, but I notice he doesn’t talk very enthusiastically about facing the brisk wind. Of course I’m just “wild”? to do it – the fire does feel mighty good though. At any rate, I have found out that it really is duck season, so I expect to go with him soon.

I love you, Sweetheart, heaps and heaps.

Always, your
Ina.

October 28, 1925 (Walter)

Oct 28th
Wednesday A.M.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I feel much better since your letter came last night. The day before I did not write for I could not understand, and so I waited. It seems that my short notes made you feel so badly. Last year the same thing happened. I have always had the opinion that a short letter was better than none and when I am rushed I have frequently written short ones. Whenever I have written them to you they have been more harmful to your feelings than no letter at all. I would not hurt your feelings, intentionally, for anything in the world. I love you, Dear, and the short letters were written because I was very busy and because I wanted to write too. I am very sorry that you misunderstood me. Last year when the clinic was under way and when Dr KS kept on the go every minute, one of my letters gave you the wrong impression because it was short. I certainly hope that we will not have such misunderstandings again. When we are together always we will know each other better. I have already learned that your feelings are more sensitive than I had suspected, but back of these you have a big heart, Dear, and there is no doubt in my mind but that you love me. I love you, too, lots and lots, and we are going to get along fine.

October 28, 1925 (Walter)

October 28, 1925 (Walter)

I am enclosing a letter which will interest you, as it concerns Mr. Pettit whom you met at Legion last summer. I had no idea that he was so near the point of getting married. I had thought of asking him to stand with you and I, since he was near and could come more easily than Alvis. Alvis is on the go so much with pipe organ matters that it is difficult to get him. I have not asked him. Perhaps H.J. would be glad to come, since he has no occupation and since he does not get away from Legion very much. What do you think about it? Mr. Parman is a good friend of mine too, and might be glad to stand with us. Let me know what you think.

I’ll make up the list for you real soon, Dear, as it will take a little time to include all that I want on it. It will not be a long one, however, and I would estimate that 50 would be more than I would have. It may be that 25 will be nearer the number. I’ll start the list and keep it a few days, adding names, as I feel that they should be included.

I love you, Dear, with all my heart and I am very sorry that I caused you to feel so blue.

Always your,
Walter.

October 27, 1925

Tuesday Night.
Oct. 27, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

It is now about ten o’clock and Mama and I have just returned from a League business meeting – she went as chaperon. I don’t mind coming home alone in the moonlight, but Mama insists that it is neither proper nor safe. We are planning to have a big Halloween party at the educational building on that night. I think masquerade parties are usually so much fun.

October 27, 1925

October 27, 1925

Your letter of Friday night came this morning and, as usual, I devoured every word of it. I am sure you are glad to get things unpacked, straightened, and ready for business once more. Of course I’m not wishing Mrs. McDonald any hard luck, but I’m hoping she doesn’t sell any time soon since you already have your things there and like it better than any other place on the Beach for your work. I think it would be mighty nice for us to live right there in her cottage while you are working on this problem. I am looking forward with lots of pleasure to going down there.

I spent the day with Thelma again today. We always have such a good time together.

Of course, Sweetheart, since you don’t know how early I have been accustomed to retiring lately, you may not understand just how sleepy I am now. When we don’t go anywhere in the evenings, there isn’t much left to do but get sleepy. Our gasoline lamp refuses to work most of the time, and the kerosene lights are too dim to make reading very pleasant, and, as it gets dark so early, we sit up and watch the clock until the hands point to an hour that is not too unreasonably early for going to sleep.

Sweetheart I love you an awful lot all the time.

Always, your own
Ina.

October 26, 1925

Monday Nite.
Oct. 26, 1925.

My dearest Sweetheart:

I wonder if you have noticed how perfectly beautiful the moonlight is tonight! If you haven’t, you should go right now and take a look. The swing looks a little too cold to be inviting, even in the moonlight, but we have a big fine fire in the fireplace that would be ideal to sit before to enjoy a long confidential chat this evening. My, how I wish you were here, Sweetheart! But I know that it will not be so very very long before we can enjoy all our evenings together and then we will be so happy.

October 26, 1925

October 26, 1925

I didn’t get a letter today, but I feel sure one will come tomorrow.

This afternoon I became so drowsy from being around the fire almost all day, so I took a two mile hike all alone. I wish you had been here to go with me. It was just cool enough to be pleasant, and the fresh cold air was very invigorating. I expect to go duck hunting (now I didn’t say that aloud, because I don’t know for sure whether it is in season or not) soon with Papa. He killed some ducks down on the slough back of our house a few afternoons ago, and says there are usually a good many down there lately. I don’t know what luck I will have, but I want the experience anyhow.

Sweetheart, I love you and think of you an awful lot – ‘most all the time, in fact.

Always, your
Ina.