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.

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.

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 3, 1925

Tuesday Nite.
Nov. 3, 1925.

My dearest Sweetheart:

No letter today, but I can look forward to one tomorrow. When I miss a day, I appreciate it even more than ever when it does come.

November 3, 1925

November 3, 1925

The main excitement in our little town at present is the mysterious disappearance of our young Presbyterian minister. He left here on the train on the morning of Oct. 7 for Brownsville to attend a meeting by the Presbytery there, but he failed to reach his destination nor has he returned to Uvalde. The last time he was seen was by a San Antonio friend at the Union Station in San Antonio on the morning of Oct. 7. Where he is and what has happened, no one knows. He was only twenty-four years old, has been married about a year and a half and this is his first charge (Uvalde I mean). He came straight from school in Virginia and accepted the pastorate here. His wife and baby are here too. I feel so sorry for her. She is an orphan, but her Aunt is with her now. Some people seemed to think he was murdered, but I can’t imagine what in the world would possess anybody to select him to murder. Positively, I can’t think of anyone on earth who looked and seemed more innocent and harmless. The supposition now seems to be that he is suffering from a lapse of memory and has wandered away. Quite a bit of money has been raised by the Uvalde citizens to be used in searching for him. It is being widely advertised, a reward is offered, and all other methods are being used, but so far without success. He is the fourth man who has mysteriously disappeared from this and surrounding communities recently. One from Sabinal was found about a week later, drowned in the Sabinal river. He was rather old and subject to frequent spells of loss of reason, so that accounts for that. But as for the preacher, we know not.

Now! I’ve told your bedtime story, so good night and sweet dreams.

I love you!

Your own
Ina.

November 4, 1925

Wednesday Night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I had a real good letter from you last night and I feel much better now. I was worried until I received this one. It is a bit cold here now and the wind is blowing, but it isn’t very disagreeable. Yesterday was the same way. I spent the day in Jax. Dr. K.S. said it had been a long time since I had seen him and it was interesting to visit. He is not going to the meeting in Dallas, but thinks he would like to go to Dallas in June when the A.M.A. have their meeting. I imagine we will return to Florida just after that meeting in June.

November 4, 1925

November 4, 1925

Yesterday’s paper gave an account of land purchase in the west part of Jax for developmental purposes. Said $500,000.00 was paid for a large tract, but it did not give the acreage and location. The company are ones who developed three sections near Miami and they are high class and restricted. This development will be of some value in boosting our acreage though I cannot tell much about it right now. Ours is higher than anything they could have purchased and should make a good residential section. I had a notion of selling one of the tracts, but I don’t know whether it is wise or not. It might be better to sell the Fulford one, though I am not anxious to turn it loose either. If we had the Dallas home in Jax we could hold onto all.

I am as busy as can be Dear, and it seems that the work goes slow at that. It requires lots of time and attention.

With worlds of love, Dear, I am

Your,
Walter.

November 6, 1925

Jax Beach, Friday Night Nov 6th.

My Dear Sweetheart,

You have been mighty good to me to write so regularly when I have not done so. I certainly have been busy, Dear, and I want you to know that I thought of you just the same and that I love you as much as ever. I have been getting some new material which was more interesting and promising than anything we have worked with it. I can’t make any definite statement yet, and I’ll be sure of myself before I do so. Should I be able to produce the disease now I could not report it in the near future, and would not expect to do so until I was so sure of my stuff that there would be no possible chance for an error. Dr. K.S. received the proof of our article a few days ago (the one which Dr. White nursed so long). He dropped me a line that there were only a few corrections (typographical) and that he corrected those and returned it. I am rather glad that he did this, for if I had seen the proof Dr. White would have wanted to go over it and he would have kept it a long time again. As it is, it will probably come out in next month’s issue. Dr. K.S. says that this is all that he cares to publish as the work is now where he cannot help very much. I intend to see that I get my own out under my own name this time. I am glad to have published some with him as he has a prestige among medical men.

November 6, 1925

November 6, 1925

I am enclosing a letter re: Fulford lots which may be interesting. When I looked at our lot, the one next to it had a real estate sign so I asked what they were holding it for. The enclosed letter says that it has been sold. Judging from the prices they are asking for the others, which are several blocks away from ours I believe that the list price $3150 which the Fulford people place on ours is not an inflated price but about what it would bring on the market. The acreage at Jax looks better than it did at the time we bought. One subdivision is being developed a little beyond our tracts, but it isn’t a high class one. Nearer to Jax than ours a new division is now open by a good company who are placing restrictions on the buildings. This looks good. When they have finished this, our tracts ought to be pretty good acreage. They are higher than any development in the vicinity of Jax.

I had not considered it necessary to have a best man who was not married. I’ll have to look into this matter. I don’t believe my brother would do it. He is working on some road contracts and only a death would get him away from them. I’ll make up that list for you, too, and will send it before long.

With a sweet goodnight, I am,

Always,
Your
Walter.

November 7, 1925

Saturday Nite.
Nov. 7, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

First and foremost I have a weather report to make. I didn’t write you last night nor the night before because, on account of the rains, none of us could get in town to mail you the letter I had written you Wednesday night. I didn’t even get to make that talk to the ladies of the Missionary Society Thursday afternoon. What a loss! I wonder if the poor women realize what a wonderful opportunity they missed all on account of the weather? But, be that as it may, we appreciated the showers very much. It has turned cooler, faired off, and everything looks so pretty and fresh and green. Of course we are situated in a mud puddle when it rains the least bit, and are in a position to appreciate beautiful drying sunshine after plenty of moisture. We have been in Texas so long that we just naturally enjoy this sunshine that is usually with us.

November 7, 1925

November 7, 1925

Your letter of Wednesday nite came this afternoon. From a selfish point of view, I was glad I didn’t go to the post office those other two days because there would have been nothing but an empty box to greet me until today.

I love you, Sweetheart.

Goodnight and sweet dreams.

Always, your
Ina.

November 8, 1925

Jax Beach, Sun PM. Nov 8th

My Dear Sweetheart,

Yesterday and today were regular days with comfortable temperatures and folks were in the surf. It seemed more like summer. I went to Jax yesterday afternoon. Dr. KS had written that a veterinarian had telephoned him of a peculiar skin affection on a dog, and that he thought it of interest to us. The lesions were not characteristic of C.E. but it is possible that the trouble was of a nematode origin. The dog was too valuable to obtain it for experimental purposes, so I gave him the C.E. treatment to be tried. When I have isolated and cultured the C.E. nemas I’ll try them on dogs. The material I am working with has not produced C.E. but it is nearer than anything we have worked on yet. I get so interested in it that I forget most everything else. I haven’t written an official letter for a long time, but I’ll have to answer some of them soon.

When I was in town yesterday I drove out toward the acreage to see what the new developments look like. They are encouraging and with a development like “Biltmore” beginning in that part of town I have hopes that ours will be valuable stuff. I’ll be glad when you see them. I don’t know what you would think of building out there, but I am of the opinion that a nice home out there on one of the tracts would be mighty fine. It looks as though we might get enough out of the Fulford lot to go a long way toward building and furnishing a new home.

Monday A.M.

I stopped here last night and now I want to get this in the P.O. before the mail leaves.

With worlds of love, Dear, and a [ink smear on page] kiss.

Your
Walter.

November 9, 1925

Monday Nite
Nov. 9, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

Yours of Friday night came after a second trip today after it. It didn’t come this morning, so, since I felt like I just had to have a letter today, I went down town again this afternoon. If it hadn’t come I would have – well, waited until tomorrow or the next day or the next to get one. I didn’t write you last night because I didn’t know what to write. You see, I had received only three letters the past week when I had been accustomed to receiving, usually, seven. So I didn’t know what was wrong.

November 9, 1925

November 9, 1925

The real estate letter you enclosed was interesting also. It will be mighty fine to make a nice profit by the time we are ready to have a home of our own. I am glad that Jacksonville is coming to the front of the Fla. boom so that the acreage west will be increasing.

Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Monagin and June Latham (the young school teacher from Mississippi whom you met at the Uvalde Hotel) came out and spent quite a while with us. Mervin is quite a football hero this session. I think he enjoys every minute of it too.

It was announced last night at church that part of our pipe organ had already arrived and the remaining part and a man to install it were expected soon. I don’t know why the shipment has been delayed so long.

Wednesday is Armistice Day. Are you going to take a holiday? I don’t know how we are going to spend the day – as per usual though, I suppose. Yesterday evening we had a debate at League “Resolved, that Christians should not participate in War.” There was lots of room for argument, of course, on this question, and the four debaters did it justice too, I think. I most earnestly hope that some plan can be presented and carried out that will honorably and effectively prevent all wars in the future. It makes me shudder to think of the losses, terrors, ruin and desolation caused by the World War. It seems impossible that the people of the world would bring about another one as horrible. Here’s hoping it’s all over!

I love you, Sweetheart, ever so very very much!

Always, your
Ina.

November 10, 1925

Tuesday Nite
Nov. 10, 1925.

My dearest Sweetheart:

No letter today, and I didn’t intend writing tonight until I realized that it was six months ago (just think, a half year) tonight that we became engaged.

November 10, 1925

November 10, 1925

I just wanted to let you know I remembered the day and that I am thinking of you, and, above all, that I love you.

Always, your
Ina.