131 11/14/1947 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 3409 Fremont Ave. South, Minneapolis 8, Minnesota Friday, November 14, 1947

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Elmer is up getting the kids ready for bed so I'll write you a few lines. I had a nice letter from you yesterday. How is Sam Prest getting along. Was he having more ulcer trouble. Poor Mrs. Prest has had a tough life hasn't she? The new Science Church is 2nd church. It will really be a beautiful one. Today was payday and I had a very nice notice enclosed in my check telling me I had been given a raise in salary, included in this check, so I am now making $150 a month which sounds pretty good to me. I will only get one more paycheck though but it sure is nice getting the raise just before Christmas. Florence has agreed to come until the 1st. Then I will bring the work home to do. I took my typewriter to the repair shop the other day to be all fixed up. I don't know yet how much I'll make but after Christmas I'll save all my earnings for my trip out there. I'll go down to the office on Saturdays and work. Mr. Carlson has gone hunting so Nellie took her mother home with her tonight for the weekend. It sure is swell having the house to ourselves. I just hate Mrs. Carlson. She is so clever in doing and thinking of mean things to do. She was mad at Mr. C. for going hunting so decided to do something to me. She went and washed her clothes today. It takes the whole weekend for them to dry in the basement and the weekend is the only time I have a chance to wash. She could hardly wait until I walked in tonight to tell me. I decided to send the sheets and towels and shirts to the laundry then until I'm through at the office. Today after cashing my nice big paycheck I went into Dayton's and after buying Elmer a pair of gloves, picked up my packages and left and discovered I didn't have my purse. I hurried back to where I was but it wasn't there. I started knowing that nothing was lost so went back to look once more and there it was. It had slipped down between some piles of shirts. The store was jammed with people too so I decided I was a fool not to keep up on my science more. Jimmy has been refusing to go to school lately so it's a good thing I will soon be home with them to keep them in hand. Jimmy loves kindergarten but he evidently got hurt by snowballs or bawled out for something which makes him want to stay away. There's not a chance of our being in the house by Christmas now because the oil burner hasn't come and they can't plaster without heat. It is supposed to come any day but probably when it does come the plasterer will be busy then on another job. Just the storm windows are on. The other windows don't go on until after the plaster has dried. Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm going downtown and do some Christmas shopping. Mr. Carlson is certainly going to talk Dolores and Bob into moving in here. Dolores said she wouldn't live here if he paid her a hundred dollars a week and served her breakfast in bed every morning. I have been wearing my fur coat and it is nice and warm. Everyone says it looks like it was made for me so I'm glad I bought it. The weather hasn't gotten so cold yet and we haven't had much more snow. Well Folks I had better get upstairs and tell the kids goodnight. With Love, Helen