Category: Extra letters

A balance of one dollar and eleven cents in bank!!

To Bertha Ballou from CC Ballou –

Fort George Wright, Spokane, Washington

My dear _____,

Your letter came a few minutes ago and I am very glad to get it. Your letters would be welcome in any case, but they would be of interest of anyone else wrote them – though I doubt if anyone else could describe things as you do. I infer that you haven’t found any smashed preserves, jelly, etcetera, in your trunk – a matter that gave me _____ concern. What did you think of the _____ and _____ for it’s as _____ splendors and size. It was among years in building, and they _____ were told that when it was completed, Christ would take up his residence in it and make it his headquarters. I dare say that this was meant in a spiritual sense, but the idea of physical occupancy was _____. The labor _____ was _____ noted for its seating capacity – any great for its time – for its peculiar shape, which, as you no doubt observed, is similar to an inverted oval ______ dish – for its remarkable acoustic properties, that no doubt resulted from its shape – and for its fine organ, then the second in size in America. I suppose the old “Lion House” is gone.

We are all well and comfortable. There has been all sorts of weather since you left. Right now, everything is white with snow that fell before daylight yesterday morning. I have begun my carpenter “exercise.” I have some fairly good pine boards, about 13½ inches wide and one-half inch thick, from which I can make since inside _____ for things that ought to be packed double and I find that I can make a nice box, much better than the carpenter would make, in about two hours. Thus far, I have only made only two – one for the two glass lamp shades, and one for the _____ and the Barratta. My next essay will be a smile box for four of your paintings – The two copies, the “still life,” and The Rock ______ Autumn. They differ by only about an inch in width of frames and little more in length. I am planning it in my mind as to have slate separating the pictures, giving each a separate skeleton _____, so as to present any action of their combined weight on any frame. Then I will take up the matter of separate boxes for they ______, _____, _____, etcetera. I get some good exercise and at the same time accomplish something.

We are going to the library this _____ to look for some reading matter. Thursday we had a great time over our bank account. We were sixty-five dollars short. The bank account showed $65.00 less than the checkbook did. After a whole afternoon of research, we found that Mamma had carried forward the “total,” in one instance, without deducting the three checks on the opposite page, aggregating fifty-five dollars. The other ten dollars we were over did account for – probably an error many months old. The result was that we had actually last month a balance of one dollar and eleven cents in bank!! Pretty close to a withdraw! However, it is _____ right now. Well, I must skidoo.

Your loving old Dad.

 

The Butte companies left there this A.M. to resume station here.

Dr. Zdonowiz is a blessed old dear

To Bertha from Alice “Sally” –

(Date is approximate)

…coming but it certainly is nice think of so many of them going in. Oh! Yes, Francis Birch goes in from Maryland and Mason, I suppose, will make up a _____ appointment. In fort, he may be William’s first alternative. Your know that they were working for the same appointment. Well, about November the it of a senator discovered that all his men were at the academy already and he had no appointments this year. William promptly tackled another man and got the principal without competition and the senator says that about ten minutes after he mailed W.F. his papers, in came another mail and flooded him with pleas for the thing. But William has it.

Did I tell you that at Christmas, I saw Charles Palmer of Western ’20 who is a plebe? He was on sick leave and I felt quite tickled when he singled me out a big dance to talk to (he wasn’t dancing) because we hardly knew each other at school and I didn’t suppose he would recognize me.
Oh, yes! While I’m talking about boys, I may as well mention that the other day I was taking a walk ‘round the campus and I saw Isabelle Crank and a man sitting under the Odd Tree, (a tree near the summer house) well, I didn’t desire to worry Crank so soon after Odd _____ to be seen near the Odd Tree, so I stalked off across the grass for East Hall and so when the man left Crank came and told me that he was an illustrator and that when I passed, he had made me many compliments including that I had more poise than any girls he’d seen in the college. That is what friend Sally gets for pulling in her chin and holding her head up when there is a man in sight. I’ll try it this summer. Wasn’t that a nice compliment? (I think I have been spelling “compliment” as if it were the object of an intransitive verb but it doesn’t make much difference. I don’t know which is which and hope you don’t think this one is correct.)

It now becomes necessary to read my letter over and see what I haven’t said. Not having said anything I will proceed, although there is nothing to say but having written over an ounce already. I can’t waste postage by not writing a full 2 ounces.

The “bunch” gave Hades a birthday party in the University Women’s Club rooms at G.W. and Gwen and I were the only absentees. The cake was not full of cotton this time but the presents were as queer as ever. Poor Hades, it surely is a nuisance to be an April fool baby.

Alice Hersey went to Camp Devon for her Easter and enjoyed herself muchly. Said it was so long since she’d seen a waiter that she hardly knew how to behave at the mess. Thank goodness! Bessy _____ we in training but I’ll probably disgrace the family someway or other. Virginia is still progressing and still fixes the corner table with her glossy eye. I can fairly see what would happen if she were called, “Virgin-i-a.” Dr. Ayres has taken a great liking for me and button-holes me in the _____ frequently for long conversations and then, he winds up with, “How is Miss Bertha now?” I haven’t met Mrs. B nor Virgin-i-a so far.

Jenny Joues is very homesick and unhappy and calls down blessings (?) on France and all things French but especially the heating apparatus, she was recovering from _____ when she wrote and evidently had a grouch and her best friend had just left for the Riviera and Gwen wanted to go too long enough to warm her toes. In fact, she agrees with Papa upon the climate of France.
Miss Bowen is alright but not as strong as she was before her operation at Christmas time.
Miss Powel says I’m going to make 93 in English this time but I expect to flunk in everything else, that is. I’m worried about History and Dr. Arnold has gotten my record all tied up. (Told me I made 88 and turned in 80) and I fear I haven’t made A in math and maybe not even B and I think my Bible grade will be C instead of B and my daily work in Latin has gone all to pieces and my written work has taken a sudden and annoying flight up to D and what the average is I don’t know and I don’t believe Dr. Lipscomb does. Dr. Zdonowiz is a blessed old dear and I’m jealous of the Red Cross nurse that he is going to marry. He says he’ll put me in French III next year no matter what happens and if I want to take an exam on the IIB work (and he is sure I’ll pass) he’ll give me credit for it on my degree. And Dr. Lipscomb is a pill. He wants a poem, and evidently intends to have it. And it must be a literal translation of one of his plegéd old odes and it can’t be in free verse, nor even blank verse. Wow, isn’t he awful? Large chance he stands of getting such an article from me. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Oh! Yes, I am writing a description of character by conversation now for Miss Powell and I have chosen for my topic Mrs. Buttler discussing Mrs. Black. I have sketched Mrs. Buttler in a way which convulses my friends and which is, I think, true to life and I have long since found out that if I can once get Miss Powel giggling over one of my papers that is sure to be an A forthcoming. The result is that a person reading my paper would suppose I hadn’t a grain of sense or was imitating ______ word. I please her very much with my first narrative. It was the story of my efforts to yet Marcus post the conductor on the train and the buying of a thicket for him when we left. The cork came out so hard that I took a second look and changed bottles, but, as I say, if I die, you’ll know I’ve _____ my sore first.

East Hall is a fairly sensible hall but we have some awfully stupid people here and Celeste Sanford is me. The other night, we had fire drill and we all know we’d have it (the other halls had it the night before but our house. President went over an told them that we had our windows all down an our transoms shut and were sitting up in bed waiting for them so they let East go until next night) and I got out my coat and put on my nightgown but left my shoes on and the windows down and talked to the girl until it came off, but that stupid old Celeste, in spite of knowing that we would have it, she says she knew it, put away her bath rope and didn’t have a towel out (laundry just made up) and went to bed at 9 o’clock and she _____ minutes late to the drill. Poor old Celeste, she is so funny, but she is nice. Well, the next thing on the program is gym, so I’ll go and finish this letter when I come back.

Well, that is over. We did a maypole dance and had a hygiene lecture and no more gym for the rest of this week.

Well, I like Charles but I have a feeling I shouldn’t like him if I knew him as much as I do not knowing him.

Now, Beefy, don’t you think that if you had a nice long-legged candidate from Nigeria (I still start to say “freshman”) and he had a pass on the Southern railway (which, being son of the chief accountant of the _____, he has) that he ought to come and see you? I do. I’d forgive him if he had to rake up sixteen dollars to get down here but I really think he might come as it is. Don’t you? Well, I’ve got to take this letter down to Miss Laura and have it weighed. I fear that it is over two ounces but I’m not going to write a third ounce “no how no way.”

Lots of love and please don’t lose my beautiful book.

Sally

Oh! I’ll have to buy a new packet of envelopes to mail November 2nd.

I thoroughly approve of her as Senn’s wife

Miss Bertha Ballou

1724 20th Street N.W.

Washington D.C.
Fort George Wright,
Washington


May 21st, 1922

Dear Bertha,

I reached home last night and found two letters from you awaiting you. I am wondering a little whether you will be there when this reaches Boston, but, while I am anxious to see you, I hope you will be staying for the concourse and planning for another year. Papa told you the would send you a blank check in case of an emergency and then, he says he forgot to put it in his letter so he wrote me to send it now. He is off today hunting campsites. It is a cold, dreary day and has tried to rain but hardly dampened the ground. I have had to make a fire in the grate.

I had a real nice time at Camp Lewis and like Emily as much as one could expect to like a new member of the family, which is a lot. I thoroughly approve of her as Senn’s wife, and find her such a sensible wholesome girl that I really wonder how he got her. Papa says she has Senn’s nose on the grindstone. All I have to say is, that, if she has, I hope she cranks it up well.

I met a lot of old friends and acquaintances in the camp and met a member of others whom I like very much. I don’t think anyone seemed more please to see me again than Mrs. Skinner, and I was glad to see her, too. _____ came home in time for me to see her. She is quite nice looking, was very quiet while I was there. Mrs. Skinner sent her love to you and said you just must visit Camp Lewis this summer. Emily and Senn too talked a lot about wanting you and Sally to go see them. Jim Simpson sent a lot of love. I am sending a letter from Anna Sterret. I don’t suppose you can very well arrange to see them after you get it, however.

Mrs. _____ cannot get here before the 12th of June. I believe, and will not have time to get more than her own portrait made. However, that will be one good order for you and we will hope you will find someone else who wants a portrait.

I am going to advertise for a maid tomorrow. I may not get a cook, but I can certainly get someone who can clean and wash dishes and prepare vegetables. I would rather do the cooking than all those things and I may not be able to find anyone who will do it all. Mrs. _____ got a girl by advertising with who she is very well please.

Things changed a lot while I was gone. The leaves are out quite well now and the apple blossoms, only very few of the trees seem to have blossomed this year. One in our yard has a few blossoms and the other is very late and may blossom more. My sweet peas are up but still very small.

My hat and coat came just on time and were just what I needed for the trip. I have not seen anyone since I got back, but I guess all are getting alone nicely.

I feel rather tired today, could not get to sleep last night for some reason. Papa and Betsy had kept house very well and it seems good to be home again. I have a lot of dusting to do tomorrow for we have been having plenty of dust all this month.

I think we will soon belong to the real army again, the headquarters and some officers and men of the 4th infantry are coming here and we support Papa will become colonel of the 4th. It’s colonel has asked for retirement and gone on a leave. That will sound better to me than 58th. Papa says, if he stays to retire for age, he stands a chance of running through the entire infantry list at the rate he is going!

Well, dear, I must stop now and write a bit to Sally. _____ her Babbitt and said if you come through Chicopee and could just let her know, she would be so glad to see you if only for a few minutes at the station. Her address is 340 Grove Street, Chicopee Falls.

With lots of love,

Mamma

The portrait of Mrs. A will need the same canvas you would have used for copies.

Today I started on a four-foot canvas and in the afternoon began modeling

To CC Ballou from Bertha Ballou –

238 Hemmingway Street
, Boston

Dear Papa,
I am sorry that I did not telegraph you about the concours. If I had known that you would be as distressed about the candlesticks I would have done so in order that you might have the concours as an offset for other disturbances in Christmas – as I had. I’m not surprised that Lenn and Emily were delighted with their candlesticks – anyone might well be. I was with mine. It was a lovely gift and I appreciated your desire to make one a beautiful present and one that you knew I had greatly admired more the less because they came in _____ condition _____ while I _____ __________________________________________________________________ …and the makeup and will _____ _____ little box and ship them as soon as I get a reply and my letter.
I am glad Lenn and Emily are home. I liked the little things I sent them _____ they were not expensive. I ______ is wasn’t a very useful present but was at least one more permanent asset and not hard to send. I wondered how my gift could have reached you so soon. I did not finish it until too late as the days were very dark and cloudy and I could not work long in the afternoons. I’m afraid, too, that it has been very slow in reading you.
My holiday was quite uneventful. A _____ _____ sent me to the dentist ________________________________________________ …but on the ______, I had a pleasant time. General _____ and Mrs. Hersey is _____ called Sunday afternoon is ______ of receiving a card from you. They are all looking quite well. I _____ intended to call on Mrs. Page on New Year’s Day but the eight or ten inches of snow under foot was added a _____ rain and that was too much for my resolution. I will get over there very soon however.
Today I started on a four-foot canvas and in the afternoon began modeling. I think it will all be valuable.
With much love to yourself and all the family.
From,
Bertha
January 2nd, 1923

I hope you do succeed well with your child portrait

Fort George Wright, Washington

May 25, 1923

Dear Bertha,

Your letter of the 19th came today, it was long on the way, but I was glad to have it.

I also had letters from Papa and Sally. Sally, as you know, starts early next week and I judge you will come straight how as Papa writes that Mrs. Wynne is ill with a _____ of doctors and nurses in attendance. I am very sorry she is sick but glad you do not have to make a visit when you don’t want to.

Yes, Papa was kept me informed of you doings so that it was almost as good as hearing from you, and, of course, presented my feeling any uneasiness about you, as might have been the case at another time if you had not written.

I hope you do succeed well with your child portrait and also in the _____. You must be pretty tired now.

I am rather tired tonight, too. I had quite a job of house cleaning done yesterday and today, did not do any of the real cleaning myself, but had to be right around and look out for the little things and I took every book out of all the bookshelves and dusted it and wiped the shelves and put back the books. It is not hard work, but it kept me real busy. The striker worked the floors and the house looks real clean, but we have been enjoying a good bit of wind and dust of late, so it will not be so clean by the time you come.

The little cats are not a bit pretty, but they are frisky funny little beasts.

The troops are still here and do not know in the least when they will leave. It would be rather funny if they never did go. I will soon begin to think Mr. Cambri is a prophet. He has kept saying he did not believe they would ever go on the march. I think he has said it all the time for three months. Emily said, if Sam could get a leave, they would drive to Snelling, if not, maybe she would drive any way. She is pleased to go to Snelling since they have to make a move! I’ll try to get another little note off to you before you start home. In meantime, lots of love and wishes for good luck at your work.

Mother