Viewing page 43 of 74

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Mar One
Sunday the 8th of September 1917
My Dear George and Hattie,-
Your letter of something-or-other date-anyway it came yesterday- and with it that splendid recommend. My, it must make a fellow feel pretty fine to have such things said about him, specially when he knows they are honest-to-goodness true. This family has strutted around worser'n your black Mike after licking (?) the other cat, and Mattie and Pease and Hitt (home on a 7 days furlough) seem quite as pleased as we. Let the good work go on. Surely, if you have an opportunity to present it, it should help a whole lot.
We don't seem to think of anyway we can help you at this end of the line- we have no pull- If I thot Mr. Dickenson could be of any use, I would see him, but not unless you asked me to. Mattie is on the lookout for something for himself and not in line to help, and I really believe he looked just a little bit envious when I read the Major's letter to him.
We have the Flying Circus here now and they are fed and watered- the machines I mean- at Ashburne so that we feel quite in touch with these celebreties. General Hill (I think) too Mattie's performance and his little machine wonderful- tell him that he should be in a good berth somewhere testing machines- but telling him that and getting it for him are two quite different matters.
Herb has gone to Pittsburgh- went to take a job in one of the Government Industries there- but as he has not found it all as represented by the agent here, he is going into Carnegie Tech for the nine months training, with clothes, board and $30 per month-after which he is in the service of the Government. Illinois Un. offered the same thing to undergraduates, but Herb did not have enough credits to get in and so he decided to stay there. Don't know what I shall do without him for that length of time for he is sure a very satisfactory fellow to have about the house.
Phil has been drafted- two days after being accepted and classed. He was to have gone last Friday, but they got all they wanted before reaching his name and told him to hold himself in readiness. He gave his line as airplane or auto mechanic and thinks that is why he was called so soon.
When Phil goes it will leave Pa and Bob and me all alone and if, as I contemplate doing, I send Bob away to school, can you picture Pa and I alone-in this big house? Of course I shall not try to keep Mattie then-can't afford it- but what I believe I shall do is go to work. I have been looking into mechanical dentistry for sometime and find that it is easy work, entirely suitable for women and pays very, very well. Age is no bar and the more I look into it, the better I like it. Crown makers get $30 a week as a starter and other branches, like plate and bridge work pay even better.
My courage may fail and I may find the hours too hard but guess I'll make a try at it and see.
You didn't make any comment on Bob's story- were your feelings too deep for words- Anyhow, if he can't write stories he can draw and I am enclosing a sketch of Tipsy as he lay asleep on the rug in my room. Bob drew this without any preparation, happened to have a pencil in his hand and some