To CC Ballou from Bertha – September 13, 1918
1724 20th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Dear Papa,
Here I am back in Washington and so glad to be here. We have been gone for a month and it has been a very pleasant change but it’s nice to be home just the same. Senn and I came on ahead of Mamma and Sally from Dallas, where Aunt Addie and Uncle George live, and arrived last night about nine o’clock. Major Hester is still _____ although Mrs. Hester has gone back to Atlanta. Everything is in excellent condition and I can see that they have taken a great deal of pains to care for things. I have not done very much today _____ have been busy all the time, nevertheless and will have dinner to prepare as soon as I finish this letter.
A short time before leaving Homly, I received a letter from Hazel Clark. She has accepted a position in Pittsburgh – testing chemistry. It will give her rather short hours and a salary of eighteen hundred for eight or nine months work. That is better than anything she could secure here. She inquired about you and sent her kindest regards. They are all well, the family still at _____ and were expecting their son who has been sent back to this country – disabled from shell _____.
You will know before this reaches you of General Newman’s promotion. It is a pleasure to be able to write the General. I have not seen them yet but Senn ran across him last night – not being like me tired enough to go to bed after traveling all day. It is a disagreeable trip from Dallas. We were obliged to go for about half an hour by trolley – walk some distance to the station and make the rest of the trip in crowded day-coaches with two changes. Of course that’s not very terrible but twelve hours of it _____ all the excitement that _____ system craves in the course of one day. Senn found three letters from you awaiting _____ here and there is also one for Mamma which I will not forward as I suspect her to follow in a day or two and might miss her. I observed in the Army and Navy Journal that Mrs. ______ with the old lady and Marjorie have gone to Detroit to remain for the period of the war. If you see the Colonel, give him my love – one never really know how much on things of a friend until afterwards. Now I am surprised sometimes to see who are the ones who stand out in my memory as satisfactory recollections. They are not always the ones that I would have expected – but he is one.
Well, goodbye for this time and keep well. We are all so encouraged by the gains this last month that I dare to hope that the war will not last so much longer as I had feared. If you can only head out and keep your health!
Love from,
Bertha
September 13th, 1918