Old mail, pt. II

I bought another old letter of Etsy a few days back, and it arrived in the mail today. The day I purchased it, the owner messaged me to give me a little background on the letter. She told me that she bought it at an estate sale. It belonged to an old scientist by the name of Leland Pence. Leland apparently worked with Linus Pauling, who was a famous scientist who won two Noble Peace prizes. They had another letter for sale that had correspondence between both Pence and Pauling...but it was $1,500 dollars. This one was $1.50.

February 28, 1941

March 1, 1944

Dear Mary: 

That top date-line is as far as Bill got that nite in writing you a few lines...and I don't know what inspired the "1941".

It was so nice to get such a newsy letter from you. Allie has it now and I can't remember any questions that you asked, so if I don't respond as I should- pliz excuse. 

As Allie has probably told you, the films didn't arrive until the Tuesday after Valentine's day . We still haven't seen them for several reasons. First and foremost, we just don't do anything during the week as Bill works most of the time. Secondly, these projectors are now very precious and irreplaceable and I don't imagine they improve with the necessary jostling around in a car while enroute to the borrowers home. All this is summed up in a reluctance to ask the favor of borrowing Dr. Freeman's projector so often. The doctor's father passed away about 10 days ago and has been out of town anyway. 

Allie says you're having a lovely spring weather, getting some planting done, and everything. That doesn't seem so very far away from us either, as our weather has been very mild, tho' the past few days have had a raw bite to the breezes. From the radio quips  owing from the west coast, it would seem that they are having more then their share of "dew". Spring really does seem around the corner, for I learned today that the washers are coming to our apartment on tuesday morning to give us a thorough wall washing job- but no painting which we are badly in need of. I think it's mean of Allie's apartment  owners not to give her equal service, as her rent is a little more, I believe, than ours, and she has been a tenant there for so long. The walls are bothering her- and the exposure and difficulty in finding help- make it impossible for her to have them done. 

We all feel so badly that Sus is still continuing to have pain. I am wondering if he has had all the calcium tests. Do you remember when Blanche Andrews nearly died two years ago from lack of calcium and the terrific pains she had in her hips and legs? That is just a thought!

Jean sounds like such a darling and must be a pleasure to have around. Eve and Harold Snyder called on Laura and Raleigh last saturday nite and they say that their little girl is adorable. Nothing new to report from them, Eve said. 

Did you know that Junie has gone across? We hope he has arrived safely by this time. His brother is a medical technician and is now in a camp in Indiana. He thinks he will return to Camp Adair and then back to Illinois for a month and then over seas. 

Gramps is due up here for a visit pretty soon. He didn't go south this year due to the patriotic urge to stay off trains, and I don't think he has suffered too much. He loved to go but he just itches to get back once he's there. Did I tell you he is going back to work this year on the Georgian Bay line? They wanted him to go back and he must have forgotten how tired he was at the end of last season.

Dot and Jim's little niece is due to come out of those horrid casts this week-end. They haven't heard yet, but she was to be x-rayed last week to see how the legs were coming. This has been much harder on the mother then the little girl- and not easy for her. Her daddy is about ready to go across, and already has had most of his shots and vaccines. 

We are all pretty excited when George was testifying on the spy ring case. Jim and Louise went down and sat for hours, enough so that they said they felt like Junior G-Men. 

Bill is working again tonite- at the shop this time, and I want to get a good sized ironing out of the way before he arrives and its almost 9:00. Do you think I can do it? 

Love to you and Sus and Jean from both of us...

M. and Bill

I don't remember if I told you, but we felt badly to miss sending the Sr. Pences a Christmas greeting, the first in a long time. Let us know where they are..."

The letter also came with newspaper clippings, and some ads, a comic, and a funny little story.