Sept. 1, 1915

Dear Diary,

The threshing team is due to arrive her any day now. That will surely keep us busy for a few days cooking.  And then it’s on to Belle Fourche. It seems strange to say that. We have lived there before during the winter but the last time was the year Hazel was born and I don’t recall much. Papa has found a job working as a teamster and Mama is going to be the keeper of the boarding house we are renting. We will have 3 of the rooms one for Hazel and me, a small one for Daniel and another room will be Papa’s and Mama’s. There will be rooms for 3 additional boarders. The dining and drawing room will be shared. The kitchen will be Mama’s domain and so I suppose mine and Hazel’s, too. We will have to provide meals for the boarders as well as ourselves. Mama was the keeper of an Aladdin boarding house one winter when I was small.  Belle Fourche is a little town like Puyallup except it caters to the cattle and sheep industry. Unlike Puyallup it’s a cowboy town.

As soon as logging shuts down Roy says he is going to come and try to find work here. He is tired of us being so far apart. I can’t begin to tell you how happy that makes me.  Still I am trying not to get my hopes up to high. Job prospects around here aren’t good.

Vera and Clarence will be leaving next week. I am sure going to miss her, it’s been so nice having her around to visit with. Hopefully I will make new friends once we settle into Belle Fourche.

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Nagrom, Wash

Sept. 5, 1915

Dear Mae:

Well here I am once more for a little chat this morning. How are you feeling this fine morning? Just fine tho, I hope. I am not feeling quite well today as usual. I ate something for supper that made me so sea-sick: and I felt pretty miserable all night, think I vomited up every thing I have eaten for a week. I feel pretty good this morning tho only a bit weak. Guess I will be just as good as ever in a short time.

Your last letter arrived Iast Saturday and of course I was glad, and especially glad you were feeling so well. I looked for another letter yesterday but was disappointed, may get it today tho, am hoping s anyway.

I bet you was some glad to see Vera. And I can just imagine how you and she acted when you first met. Wish I might have been there to for I would like to see Vera to. Is she still there tell her I send her my best wished and tell her hello for me. I wish I could see Tootie also. I bet she is sure some cute. She was that when I saw here but I know she must be lots more so now.

I am glad the Wyoming crops have turned out so well that sure aught to help some. The grain crop of Wash. Is good this year to.  And I guess that wheat is a good price to. It seems as if the times aught to be pretty good this fall but it doesn’t seem as if they are. At least there is not much doing in the lumber business in this country. Lots of camps and mills are not running those that are in operation are all time talking about closing down. We hear talk of this camp shutting down ever once in a while. Hope it don’t for a while yet anyway.

My brother Richard is here with me again. He came Friday evening. He didn’t stay long over east of the mountains. He said he had to quit threshing on account of his eyes. There was to much dust, and he has weak eyes anyway. I was sure glad to have him back and am going to try to get him to stay this time. Joe and Grover West were working on the same machine that he was on. They will probably stay until the job is done. Joe’s wife is at Cashimere Wash. That is a small place up on the great northern rail-road. Guess that she and Joe are going to live there this winter. Joe said that he has a job cutting wood for this winter.

Well I guess that Justin and Lillian are picking hops now. Richard said they left Puyallup about a week ago. Said that he thought that Hue’s wife went with them and that Hue was going later.

I Don’t know where to send this letter to but I am going to send it to Belle Fourche as I suppose you will be there by the time this arrives. If you are not it can be forwards to Mona.

I haven’t told you of our trip after huckleberries last Sunday. We stayed all night on top of the mountain and picked berries until noon. The berries were plentiful and the finest I ever saw. WE got about eight gallons of them and sent them home. You better come around this winter and help eat huckleberry pie.

• 

As ever Roy

Well it is about train time so will stop so as to send this off on it. Best regards to all

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Sept 8^th, 1915

Dear diary,

Here I am writing upon your last page.  I have been writing in you for almost 3 years and my feelings for Roy haven’t changed one bit.  Well, I guess that isn’t entirely true as I love him more with each passing day and am surer than ever we are meant to be forever.

Today is our last day here in Mona.  We have been busy getting everything packed. Not that we are taking much along. Mostly just our clothes, linens, and other personal items. The boarding house kitchen is well stocked with cookware and dishes. And it’s not like we will never be back. Papa isn’t sure he wants to sell the claim he has worked so hard for.  And even if we don’t come back to live we will still be out here often to visit.  Grandpa and Grandma aren’t moving to town and neither are the rest of our many kin here, we’ll surely be out often for visits. Chances are next spring we will be living here again. But then if I find a job in Belle Fourche I might choose to stay there. Especially if it means I can see more of Roy so leaving here is sort of bittersweet.  So many ifs.  As I am about to run out of paper to write on, I guess it’s time to draw you to a close. Thank you for being here to hold all my hopes and dreams. Tomorrow will be the start of my life in a new place and with it the beginnings of a new book.