Nagrom, Wash

June 12th, 1915

 Dear Mae,

 Well here I am once again to bother you for a little while. I wonder how you are this fine evening. Well And happy tho I trust. I am still as well as usual and am getting along pretty good.

Your letter arrived today and of course you know how glad I was to get it. Was awful sorry to hear that your aunt Lib is so bad. Poor old woman, it sure is to bad that she has to suffer so much. It doesn’t seem to me to be right that anyone should have to suffer so much and so long, but I suppose there are lots of things in this life that are beyond our understanding, about all we can do is try to  believe it is all for the best but it is sure hard to think that way sometimes. It certainly must be awful hard for Mrs. Plummer and of course the rest also. I feel sorry for them all. You must be careful not to over do yourself or you may be sick to.

Am glad you are having so many nice rains this season, maybe it is going to be a good crop year. I sure hope so anyway for it has been dry about long enough. No, I don’t think you are getting our Wash. rains in Wyo. for we are getting our full share. Since the first of May there had been lots of rain and I never did see so much cool cloudy weather. There has been very little sunshine since in April. Such weather is fine and dandy for working as it is so nice and cool but it is not the best for crops. It has almost spoiled the strawberrys and if we don’t have more sunshine pretty soon I think it will be bad for the raspberries also. It is quite a little while before they will be ripe tho, so maybe the weather will change in time. If it had stayed nice like it was in April I suppose the raspberries would have been ripe now. As it is I don’t think there will be many ripe before the first of July.

I wish I could help you work in your garden. My wouldn’t we have a good time tho. and I would like to help you eat some of it to. I haven’t had anything green to eat this spring, except the day I was down home. I get hungry for something fresh that I can hardly stand it. I will certainly make up for last time when I go home the Fourth of July. I expect to be home for a week or two then. Tell Daniel that I intended to send him a present for his birthday but forgot when his birth-came. Am sorry and will try to make it up at some other time if he will excuse me this time.

Well I guess I can’t think of anymore worth while so will stop. Some of the boys are playing cards in the room and making so much noise I can hardly think so you must excuse me if you find any mistakes.

 As ever,

Roy

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Mona, Wyo.
June 13, 1915

Dear Roy-
I received your two letters today. My I was beginning to think I was never going to hear from you again. I didn’t know what to think as I never heard from you from the 24th of May until I got the two letters today. I never got any last Friday or any last Tuesday but got them both today. I was surely glad to.
Was glad to hear you was all right any way and hope you are the same now. We were over to grandpa’s today and got the mail. I got a letter from Uncle Sol too. Well it is so dark I will have to finish later; I also have a headache so good night and pleasant dreams.

 Mae

Well here I am this morning. How you were this fine morning. I am feeling lots better than last week I was about all in with the La grip, and such a dreadful cold in my head and lungs. I still have a cold but feel better, only my lungs hurt so bad today but will be all O.K., soon.

We had a dreadful rain about three days and nights it just poured down but it is nice today and was yesterday. I guess we will have good crops of every kind this year.

Am sorry your mother was feeling not so good as usual hope she is better now. I am glad you father is so much better tho.

Aunt Sadie and Iretha are both well. Bert will be home soon I think. Aunt Sadie will be over this week. I will be glad but will surely be lonesome when they go down home.

We were glad to hear from all the folks. They are not very good to write and so when you tell us how they are it surely helps out. Wish I could see Justin’s baby. I always thot so much of him for he was so sweet when we were there. I haven’t written to Lillian and Justin yet, but will soon. I wish I was there to eat strawberrys and cherries but you will have to eat my share this year, that will help some.

There is going to be a lot of wild strawberrys here and lots of fruit in Spearfish. Papa is going to start for town today going to Uncle Tom’s. He started last week but that rain came so he had to come back home.

Aunt Lib is about the same. I saw her yesterday. Mrs. Plummers daughter is out visiting now. She is Mrs. Oliver, lives in South Dakota.

What are you going to do for the fourth of July. I don’t know for sure what we will do yet. Wish we could spend it together but I don’t supose we can. You must go and have a good time tho for you are where you can. You mustn’t stay at home this fourth. Was glad your folks liked my picture. Wish I could see them all. I got some more papers from Sade. She hasn’t written for some time.

I got the roses they are sure tiny little things but awful nice. We sure have lots here.

Well I can’t think of anything today. I started my letter last night in the dark. I don’t know if you can read it or not.
Now be sure and don’t disappoint me again with a letter, but I know how it was. And you write so regular, but I couldn’t help be worried.

 Well Best of wishes, as ever Mae.

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June 14, 1915

Dear Diary,

Yahoo! Finally I heard from Roy and not just one but two letters came yesterday.  I am so relieved and happy to tell you both my mind and body feel better today than last week. After I last wrote to you it also commenced to snow. Can you believe that?  What a mixed-up season. First it’s too wet followed by too dry and then it’s too cold, followed by it’s too hot.  It’s a wonder anything grows.  

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June 20, 1915

Dear Mae:

 Hello Girlie! How are you this morning? Just fine I trust tho. I am feeling fine and dandy as usual and hope you can say the same thing. I looked for a letter yesterday but did not get any. Perhaps I will get it today tho. I will sure be disappointed if I don’t.

Well I haven’t much in the way of news to tell you this week as I haven’t heard from any one in Puyallup since I was down there and everything here is pretty much the same at all times, about the only change we have is in the weather, so it is pretty hard to think of much to write. I have a new partner now. Mr. Cook thot the work was to hard so he left me. He is here tho, is working at another job. My new partner is a young fellow, twenty-two years of age and is a pretty nice boy and I think we’ll get along fine together. I worked with him a for a little while once before and we got along fine.

We are having some pretty disagreeable weather now. It is pretty rainy and cold. The coldest I have ever seen June. Seems to be getting colder all the time. Guess we are going to have some more winter by the looks of it. The warmest weather we have had so far was in April. It rained hard nearly all day yesterday and we got pretty wet. It is cloudy and cold this morning but isn’t raining, looks as if it might begin any minute tho. I would have went fishing today if it had been nice. I have been planning that trip fora long time now and always something turns up to prevent. Looks now as if I wouldn’t get to go before the fourth of July as there is only one more Sunday now.

Well how is everything in Wyo. by now. Hope you are having better weather than we are. I guess tho you are having some wintery weather also, as I was reading in the paper that there was six inches of snow in Sturgis S. DAk. and I suppose that there must have been some up in Wyoming to. If is pretty late in the summer for as much snow as that isn’t it? I suppose tho it will help with the crops some.

How I wish I could be with you on the Fourth of July. I know I would have a good time. How are you going to spend it? There will be a dance tho I suppose. Here is hoping that you have a fine time what ever you do. I haven’t made any plans as to how I shall spend it, as yet. If I go home I probably will put in the time picking berries or else take a trip to PT. Defiance Park. Wish you were here and could go along.

I suppose Burt will soon be back from shearing, guess Sadie and Tootie will not be sorry either. Expect you will be tho as you won’t get to see them so often then.

Well guess I can’t think of any more to write so guess I will stop and go do up my Sunday work and then put in the rest of the day reading. Tell Daniel to not forget to write to me.

Best wishes to all,
As ever, Roy

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June 20, 1915

Dear Diary,

Hazel and I are over at the Plummer’s. We are keeping Miss Guy company; she’s boarding with them while she teaches at Mona, but I am also responsible for caring for my Aunt Lib.  She said she’d be okay if I’d stay with her but oh my does she ever demand my attention. Thank goodness she had drifted off to sleep for a bit so I can have a bit of a break. She is completely bed ridden. Is it ever work lifting and propping her up into a more comfortable position what seems like every other minute. Not to mention all the fetching fresh tea or water to sip. I do wish she’d let Hazel and Miss Guy help some. Still it makes me feel good to know she thinks so well of me.

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June 21,1915

Dear Diary,

The Plummer’s came home today so I am back home. My did they bring back a wagon load of fine fruit, so many cherries and strawberries. They dropped quite a few off for us as our payment for looking after their place. I am going to mix up some shortcakes and cream to go with them in honor of the summer solstice. Strawberry shortcake, if ever there was the taste of summer, that is it..

Tomorrow Mama and I will turn the rest of the berries into jam and can most of the cherries. I surely will miss the ones Roy has sent the last couple of years but this help make up for missing those. Except they do make me feel kindy extra lonely for him, at the same time. I mustn’t dwell too long on such thoughts. I’ll just distract myself with summer chores. Aunt Sadie is here, so we will have a good time cooking.     

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Mona, Wyo
June 22, 1915
Dear Roy-

Well here I am again for a chat. I am feeling more like my self now but was pretty near in. I hope you are well and happy and still getting along fine. I hope the weather is good. too. I got a letter from you Saturday and of course was glad. Plummer’s went to Spearfish last Friday and Hazel and I stayed with Mis Guy while they were gone, we came home yesterday. Aunt Lib said that Cynthia could go if I would come and stay with her. We got along fine. She seems to feel so good when I am near. My I don’t know what to think, she wants me to wait on her and no one else will do when I am near. She is still pretty bad. I don’t believe she will ever get up again, but I hope she will never have to suffer so much again. Mrs. Plummer’s picked a lot of strawberrys and we sure had a feast. I supose you will soon be going down home, so I may write to Puyallup next time.

Well today is clean up day for me so will finish this later. Hazel and Daniel are visiting. Mama is sewing. Aunt Sadie and Iretha have been her since Sunday and you know what kind of time we are having. Wish you was here. Bert will soon be home I guess, and I will be so lonesome I will nearly die. I feel like that lots time any way but I know I mustn’t so don’t. ha ha.

Well I don’t know very much of any news and I don’t know when I will get to send it. But I do the best I can so you will excuse me. Well I will close for this time I am feeling kindy blue and I can’t write very cheerful letters when I feel that way. Hazel and Daniel are not going to school this week. We have had some bad storms lately. I am so afraid of them but we have been pretty lucky so far. Well I will close and maybe write more before I get to send this. best wishes, as ever Mae.

We got a letter from Aunt Ann the other day and she said uncle Sol was quite sick. My I hope he is better. Miss Guy was down today my she is a dandy girl, I like her so well and it seems so nice to see a decent girl again. There hasn’t been one near here for so long since Vera left. But she is a Washington girl so maybe that is the reason she is so nice. ha ha

Wednesday 23, 1915

Here I am and will write just a little more. We are all well today but Aunt Lib is so much worse so we are going up this afternoon. So, I will take this letter along.

Well I will have to get dinner. Iretha is sending you a flower she picked it herself. It is a honeysuckle. We have a lot of pretty flowers now and lots of roses. Well I am sorry to disappoint you, but I could not write before and so that is the way it goes. Well, good-by

• 

As ever,

Mae

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June 29, 1915

Dear diary,

The phone rang a bit ago. It was the MacDonald’s. Lela went to Belle Fourche over the weekend to visit with friends. She went out into the yard and got shocked by lightening when it struck their home. She’s okay, it was just a slight shock.  But I hate lightening, it frightens me so. We certainly have had more than our share of bad lightning storms this past week. I am so thankful she wasn’t hurt bad or worst killed.

Papa has been gone for a few days. He’s off with his Phillips brothers to search for horses the military might want to buy. It seems like even here in this quiet little neck of the world the war still touches us.