Aug 28, 1941

Thursday Aug. 28, 1941

3:30 P.M.

Mary Rose dear:

Sure, maneuvers Are fun.  We spent all morning leisurely cleaning equipment and now in am reclining in my hammock, which is thoroughly enclosed by a mosquito net.  Really the nuts!

This is our third week away from Camp Forrest and to be perfectly frank I don't miss it a bit.  Of course you must sleep out in the night air and miss the comforts of daily showers and clean clothes.  Nevertheless, we have seen real country and the people down here go bats over the cavalry.   One very nice middle aged woman even went so far as to bake a cake for three of us one day while we were out on patrol.  Watermelon- I've had more of it these last two weeks than all other years put together.

It seems as though the whole office force is really absent.  I saw Sanders picture in the paper the other day indicating that his outfit had gone to camp.

After a day and a half of interruptions I'm back to your letter and it is now Saturday morning August 30th.  Boy, how the time does pass or doesn't the same hold true in your life of leisure.

Tonight or tomorrow morning we leave for El Dorado, Ark. which is about 100 miles East of this location, Hope, Ark.  We are just about 40 miles from Texarkana, U.S.A. And if I get the opportunity I want to visit the lone star state.  Chances are that we may visit Texas but after getting this close I don't like to miss it.  

As yet I haven't been able to write Don and am wondering how near he is to induction.  Are any of the other fellows getting close to Uncle Sam? 

It's just about time for noon mess so I'd better get this in the mail before I get tangled up again.  

Bye, Bye, and write soon.

As Ever

Stan

P.S. Say "hello" to everyone.

Aug 24, 1941

Dear Stan;

Surprise; yes its me.  Do you know why.  Tis a short, short story.  I am at June's house trying to get some some sleep but leave it to Wally- he broke into my dreams.  Doesn't make much sense- does it.  Well Wally called June and afterwards I was sitting up in bed- wide awake and waiting to hear all- now June is writing Wally so not wanting June to have anything on me- I'm writing you- so Hello. 

Hello and how are you.  Is life in the wilds of Ark agreeing with you ??? Tell me what is your new horse's name- after all- I can't say how's whazaname- You are liable to think I mean anything from soup to nuts.

Golly I have so much to tell you.  I don't know where to start or for that matter where to finish.

G O S S I P

Did you know Hummy's brother Ed is working in A.A. now.  Yes he is and it's almost like another Hummy- especially when he says "Heck no"  You know their special way.  Now with Jim S, brother John, and Hummy's brother- the roll call will sound something like Sullivan, Boer, etc.  A few of us from the office went riding today and had fun fun.  June and I went down to see Loraine tonight and to wish her "Happy Birthday."  Yes Loraine and Marty are engaged.  June tells me it's a beautiful ring.  Two sentences before I forgot to tell you Loraine wasn't home- hence the second hand talk about L's ring.

You know what- my poor top knob is taking an awful beating these days. Last week at the cottage the boom on the sailboat swung around caught me by surprise and gashed my head when I wasn't looking.  Poor me.  And that ain't all.  Such English Thursday night I took up flying.  My horse- Arab by name fell- so swift I didn't even know he fell and the next thing I know I was flying through the air with the greatest of ease and again I say I landed on my head .  Twas a sad moment.  And am I mad.  Not even a black and blue mark on my forehead to show for all my suffering- just a stiff neck and aching shoulder was all I acquired and nobody thought that worthwhile mentioning.  Poor, pour me [sic].  I make a good self sympathizer don't I.  Do you need any sympathy?

If you could see us- June and I- I mean.  We are sitting side by side on a foot stool in her room scribbling away for all we are worth.  Each with our own paper on the back and front respectively of a camera book.  I must have the front because because I just looked and it has birds and sky and trees on it. 

Yes tis page 3, side 5.  My goodness I'm full of talk tonight.  Blame it on _ _ _ _ _ _ [sic].  Yes it was nice and no it wasn't nice being back to work again.  Betty Bays was ill and didn't come back to work until this past Friday, so Betty, Pearl, June and I had lunch together to celebrate her return.  Tomorrow we will have lunch together to celebrate the start of the week and from then on we will lunch together from pure habit.  Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention Dick Asbury nor Dick Schutte work at Amer. Auto anymore.  Gosh I wish the office would go back to same office as- well as last November.  It was perfect then.  CHS, LAM, Bill White, Allen Eckhoff, Beth Bonte, Jerry, Ann Carter, and Jim Kern, and Mary Staton, and Jean Vaul are all on vacation- so the office has that appearance of when she got there the cupboard was bare.  Cross my heart.

I hope you can read in between the lines on account of these are my afterthoughts.  You know before June starts giving me dirty looks for using up all her stationary, before I run out of thoughts, before drowsiness and sleep catches up with me and drop me into bed. I spect I better say "Goodnight againand ever so many pleasant dreams- until next time."

Sincerely,

Mary Rose

P.S. 12 P.M. June is still writing away - but me- I'm sleepy so I spect I'll bundle off to bed - Have a nice pleasant trip.  pretend you are a sight-seeer [sic] and see all.  Then describe it all to me.  Is it a beautiful as Tenn.?  I wish I could see it.  Oh me- again.  I say "Goodnight" and "hello".  I'm just a writer by heart. 

Aug 15, 1941

Dear Stan;

Hello again from this land of dripping icicles, polar bears, and Eskimos.  This morning when I received your letter I read it huddled over the fireplace now here it is afternoon and I'm writing from the depths of a canvas chair.  Lazy me.  Monday there were terribly big waves on the lake- the biggest I have ever seen- and did we have fun swimming through them.  Yesterday we sailed for six hours and toward the end it didn't even thrill us when the boat would tip so far we were practically swamped with water.  I will send you a picture - (if it turns out) of this sailing feat.  'Twas fun.  Tonight we are going to have a song fest on the beach- this is like a church festival- something one doesn't miss- and so tonight it's every family around the lake yelling- or more gently put singing their lungs out at the beach.  Have you a request.  This is the day after I wrote the rest of this letter and we sang "Green Eyes" for you only I don't think you would have liked it.  I must say the mail service is improving.  I was truly so happy and surprised at receiving your letter the mailman almost had to pick me up.

How was your trip through Arkansas- Are you all prepared to write a book on "Seeing the U.S. From a Horse Trailer".  Please write it- I will read it even if no one else will.   Golly just think you have been gone a week-or should I say five months- just think only two years and one month more to go- Oh well let's say just two years.  

So you are throwing Cincy over for a new horse. What will you name him............?  Is he as pretty as Cincy.  I do hope he lives up to your expectations and tell him for me to treat you nice.

Looking out across the lake I see someone else trying desperately to conquer the water ski which makes me answer "Yes I will be brown as a berry but far from tip top shape.  I never get any farther on the ski then to get a good ducking trying to stand up on them.  I don't suppose I will ever learn- perhaps I will try your method, remember you said "if you make up your mind to, you can do anything" and so you spur me on to more bumps and falls.

Nothing like saving the last paragraph till the next day so here it is Thursday afternoon and I'm rushing toward the end.  Until the next letter it's "Goodbye" and to you pleasant dreams.  

Sincerely,

Mary Rose

P.S.  I have mixtures of dreams and nightmares.