Fort Worden Sep. 1st
Dear sister & brother,
Your letter of Aug 26 and the papers rec' yesterday morning and at noon the mail man brought me a picture of Eliza and of course a picture from the folks out home always looks good to me. Herbert has been laid up with the headache all day. I have been putting hot cloths on his head all afternoon but it don't seem to help any. And tomorrow morning is inspection and so of course he has to get things ready and is trying to shave now. If a person only had a word to say in the matter but just have to take things as they lay them out for a feller and hold your tongue to boot, then if everything isn't just up to snuff why they get punished. They only furnish the men 1 suit and they have to stand revelle [sic] and retreat in them and so on. They can't even go to the movies without that uniform on (complete) and then some (big) ( ) calls an inspection and everything has to be just so, don't dare to have a spot on their clothes or leggings or dust on their shoes and their rifle has to be just so. (Oh it's a grand and glorious feeling alright.)
Do you get the letters more regular now then you did from Flagler. This will leave here about 6 in the morning. Now tell me when you get it.
That name is pronounced just like it is spelled, Eastereggs. She has 5 children, Arthur a leather leggin in France, Wilford a Corporal also in France, Gladys at Reed College and Wm. and Earnest at home. Bill is about 14 and Earnest 10. They start to school Tuesday so will less neuisance [sic] around here. And Gladys will be home in about a week and guess she will no doubt go to France or Italy sometime this fall. She is taking a course of special training as nurse I think or some such work. Guess the Chaplain is in England by this time. The last we heard of him they were ready to leave N.Y. Said there were 15,000 going that day and 20,000 had left there the day before they got there (to Camp Mills). Wonder if they can get enough over there for them all to eat if they keep that up very long.
Say what was Mrs. A. Walker & Burke fighting about. Is C. Couts still at home or was he called, never heard that he was.
So Pa got rid of his place at last. Well just so he is satisfied now. Would of liked to heard that fuss. Was Fred there at the folks when Geo. S. was doing the talking or was he just giving the folks the dickens. Why didn't he buy it in the first place, but that's always the way with them. So I suppose he thought they couldn't sell it and what was Jake putting his nose in for, did he think Geo. couldn't talk enough. Write me all about it and what you can't write salt down so it will keep, for I want to hear the whole schmear.
Are you going to move across the road next spring? Herbert thinks you will move now for the rest of the yr., but I don't think so. Suppose George will move up there where you are now, and suppose you will rent the home place (don't rent it to Jake S. tho) but of course it's none of my business now, it's your place, but I don't think J. S. would want it now any way. Untill [sic] someone else had it, don't suppose he could make a living in such a place. (I never did have any love for Jake & Annie.) Altho they never realy [sic] crossed my path.
The last half of our tax is $29, maybe a few cts. more.
Some clover they thrashed out of that straw pile. Suppose W. Ernst & Pete will be chewing the rag worse than ever, ja so gates, that reminds me of the nick name the 7th Co. has got. That's the one Herbert is in now. They (the boys) call it Young Berlin.
One of the Sergents [sic] got all his education across the pond and guess he can talk & write 4 languages. The other day he wrote some G_____ and asked Herbert if he could read it. (Guess Herbert's face & name look G_____ and it's nothing new hear [sic]???? ???? ???? und ?????. Even on the streets or what a person might call them. Of course there are no leather leggings around then and the other people don't know that from French anyway.
Don't worry about those flowers, I've picked all kinds of seeds, only those daisies they don't have seeds and those wild ones either, but it don't make any dif. Did the fern grow? They are like weeds here. And the Mrs. told me I could have any roots or bulbs I wanted to send home as they had to be thinned out every once in a while any way. She had all colors of dahlias at Flagler and of course can go back and get some roots if we want to and she said she bought most of the flowers in the first place and planted them so she had a right to them. She has no less than a doz. bouquets stuck around the front part of the house. Dahlias, gladiolus, sweet peas, crysantheums [sic], roses, nashturtuims [sic] and don't know what all yet. Every table & corner is full.
Well I must close as my arm is getting tired and I have to get some tea ready. So write soon & often.
Emma
I've got Eleonora's picture standing here on my dresser so she smiles at me all the time.
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Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass. Contributed July, 2017
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