Nagrom, WN

April 3, 1915

Dear Mazie:

 Well here I am once again. How are you feeling this evening? Just fine tho I hope and I hope the rest of the folks are feeling better than they were when you wrote. Was awful sorry that Hazel and Daniel were having so much trouble.

I have entirely recovered from my sick spell and am feeling as well as ever again. I am also getting used to the work so that it doesn’t make me so tired anymore. It did make me awful tired and sore at first. Guess it doesn’t pay to lay off so long. It always goes pretty hard for a while after being idle for awhile.

We have had quite a relapse in weather since the first of this month. It started raining the last day in March and has kept it up pretty steady ever since. Thursday was so bad we had to stay in all day, we went out yesterday and today and got pretty wet to, am afraid we will have quite a lot of rain this spring, it has been so dry all winter that it will take a lot of rain now to equalize it.

Well I am not quite so lonely now as I was for I have both my brothers here with me now. They came up last Monday morning. I was sure glad to have them come to. It has been quite a long time since I have been much with either of them, especially Richard. We have things fixed pretty comfortable now. We three and Mr. Cook have a cabin all to ourselves. Richard has his violin with him so we have a concert every evening. He is playing Casey Jones now. He was playing Chesapeake Bay when I started to write and I could hardly stand to listen to it.

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Joe is going to move the wife up here after awhile if all goes well. She is staying with Mother and Lida now. Mother is feeling some better than she did, tho she isn’t well at all yet. I am afraid she never will be either. Father doesn’t seem to get any better. He sure is having a hard time of it. I don’t know if he will ever get his health back or not. I had another letter from Justin again yesterday. He answered this time the same day he got my letter. So I got an answer long before I expected it, wasn’t looking for it for a month at least. He said the weather was so bad down there that he couldn’t do very much. Said he was going to take to the woods pretty soon if clam digging didn’t get better. I asked him about the rest of the folks but he didn’t say a word about anything not even the baby. Wonder what ails him?

Well tomorrow is Easter, wonder how you are going to spend it, wish I might spend it with you but of course I can’t, so it is no use to wish. Well enough for this time.

Good-night,

Roy

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April 5, 1915

Dear Diary,

 I am so awful tired for today was washing day. After that was done I swept and scrubbed the floor and then the laundry had to be brought back in for ironing day tomorrow. I really don’t like doing laundry but Mama just hums right through it, says it reminds her of her youth working in the laundry in Riverdale. Well this is my youth and I am not about to remember doing laundry with fondness.

Yesterday was Easter, the weather was so fine, a better spring day one could never see. It was so nice to see all the ladies at church having shunned all the sober and somber habiliments of winter for the glory of spring suits and summer hats. How’s that for some fancy writing?  Ha! Ha!

I got many compliments on my new outfit. If only Roy could have been there to see me in it, I miss him so.

After the church service in the Mona schoolhouse there was an Easter Egg hunt for the little ones. There were all kinds of pretty colored eggs both real and candy for them to find. The children had such fun finding them.  Perhaps someday my children will get to participate in such goings on.

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April 8, 1915

Dear diary,

A lot of farming has commenced in these parts. Even I have started on my garden again. This year besides the vegetables I am dedicating an extra space to flowers. I am going to encircle it with sunflowers and I can just see myself sitting amongst them relaxing at the end of a long hot day. Wish me luck that it all grows. 

The winter term for school has finally ended in Donald after going a steady 7 months.  Papa’s cousin Helen Adair was teaching it. She’s another one wound up with the Waddington family but now she is married to an Adair. I wish I could have kept up on my teacher studies but everything kept getting in my way.

The tax assessor was around last week, Papa is never happy to see him come around. He says they always value this place too high. I think he is right, as they say there is nothing so sure in life as taxes and death.

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Nagrom, WN

Apr. 10, 1915

Dear Mazie: Well here goes a few lines. Just to let you know I am still alive and am feeling fine and hope and trust that you can say the same. Everything here is just about as usual. So there isn’t much news to tell you. The weather is fine here again and it sure does look like spring, everything looks almost as green and nice as it does in summer time.

 Am sorry you are having such bad weather in wyo but maybe it is better now. I hope it is anyway but I guess that won’t do much good.

I received your last letter last Wednesday and of course you know I was glad. Wish I could have been there and been to those parties with you but what’s the use to wish in a case of that kind. There had been two dances here since I came here and there is another one to-night. I haven’t been to any of them yet as I haven’t anything but my working clothes with me. Tell Hazel they don’t dance the grape-vine here. They dance the two-step and waltz most of the time. I may go over to the hall after awhile and look for a while. The last dance they had here there was eighty numbers sold. I wish that picture man would hurry with those pictures. I want to see them so bad I can hardly wait. I looked for one this week but was disappointed. Perhaps I will get it next week, will look for it anyway but may be disappointed again, hope not.

Richard is making so much noise on his violin that I can hardly think. He sure makes things lively around the bunks and keeps us from getting so lonesome too.

Joe went down to Puyallup to see the wife this evening he couldn’t stand to be away from her any longer of course he had another excuse but I know it was her that he wanted to see. She is going to move up here pretty soon I guess at least he says so.

I had a new job. Part of this week was firing a donkey engine. Didn’t like it very well either as it was sure hard work was glad to get away from it. I think I shall start in falling again soon. I like bucking just about as well but there is not so much money in it.

Tell Sadie and Iretha I would like to see them, tell them hello for me anyway.

Well can’t think of anything more to say so guess I will stop and go over and watch them dance awhile. Best wishes to all the folks.

as ever

 Roy  

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April 11, 1915

Dear diary,

After not having one of those horrid headaches since last summer I have had one for the past several days. Why are Mama and I so afflicted? I’d thought I’d gotten rid of them for good and now they are back. I hate them for they sure slow me down. A person can hardly get anything done when it hurts to even hold your eyes open.

The Raleigh’s man was here yesterday for the first time this year. Mama stocked up on our needed cooking spices and such for it will be fall before we see him again. She also bought a new tonic he touted as guaranteed to cure headaches. I took some last night but I can’t say it helped any, my head still hurts.

 Papa has been mending fence as it has rained so much last week the fields are too wet to work in. I tried digging in my garden but gave up as it was a mud bath out there. The roads are still pretty bad too, I will be glad when the mud is done with us for the season. Our telephone is out of order today as they are working on the lines making some repairs and improvements. I sure hope they get done fast; I need to call Sadie.

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April 16, 1915

Dear diary,

The weather has been nice the past few days. Everyone is getting back out in their fields and the grass is really growing now. We have done a lot of work to our yard this past week, cleared out all the winter debris and mowed the grass so it looks really nice. Mrs. Barrett gave me so many lovely flower seeds, the yard will look even better when they commence to bloom.

I have to admit I am a bit worried though. Roy wrote that he might bring up his suit of clothes so he could go to one of the camp dances. Okay, I know I go to dances here but most of the time I don’t have a choice. And besides, I don’t dance much and when I do it’s either with family or someone I have known forever. It’s not like I am going to fall for them. But I’ve heard those logging camps bring girls in by the train load. It’s just one more thing for me to fret about, like I don’t have enough already. Am I wrong not wanting Roy to go to a dance?

Tonight, we are going over to the Plummer’s for a surprise birthday party. I hope Floyd hasn’t heard us talking about it behind his back. If only Roy were here to go along but as he says no use wishing for what I can’t have.