456 2/12/1943 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 401 Alexander, Monroe, Louisiana Friday, February 12, 1943

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Tomorrow I can get the typewriter back and then can get caught up with my letter writing, but with no decent pen either it’s kind of hard to write. Today the picture came and I think it is just swell Bernice gets prettier all the time and Harold really looks handsome. I think it is very good of Stella and knowing her as I do I have a feeling she was in a silly mood and was having a hard time to keep from bursting. That looks like an awfully nice dress she has on. She certainly didn’t put on any extra weight after her second baby either did she? I guess our family is lucky because most of the women I’ve met down here get so fat after having babies. Sandra is just darling and her little teeth showing look so cute. I think it’s nice they all look so happy. Little Bernice always has known how to pose for pictures. I had another letter from Glad today and I sure would like to go out with her but the idea doesn’t sound so good to Elmer. It makes me just sick not to be able to get out there and see Jim before he goes into the army and all of you. Well the superintendent of Kellogg Co. is still getting his daily letters from Mrs. Walter telling what awful people we are. It’s not funny anymore and every night when Elmer comes home with another letter I could just burst. She writes such awful lies about us. In today’s letter she said they had to make Elmer stop calling her up and writing letters to her. She said his language was violent and he abused her over the telephone. He has called her exactly once and she hung up on him and he wrote her one letter only, just to try and find out what her idea is and he didn’t use any violent language at all. She still claims we owe her 2.40 and our light bill and we always paid our light bill direct to the company but she says we’re to give the money to her. We don’t owe a cent and when we moved to this apartment I had the meter changed over here so we still get our monthly bill and if we didn’t pay our light bill they would turn our lights off. She said in one letter that the light company couldn’t even get it from us. Lee Trahan, Lida’s husband, opens all the superintendent’s mail and he doesn’t even bother him with the letters but just hands them over to Elmer. Lida and Lee are being transferred to the job in Canada and I just hate to see them go. Lida and I got along just swell and she doesn’t want to go either but they have to leave next week. It has been so nice living in the same building with her and every day we went for walks with our babies. Today she and Sarah and I walked downtown with the babies. I can get Jimmie’s proofs tomorrow and can hardly wait to see them. I bet you are listening to Roosevelt right now. He’s just coming on. Jimmie is learning to tell me now when he has to go to the toilet. I am teaching him to say s___ like Bernice and Ruthie did and when he first started saying it I didn’t pay any attention but it finally dawned on me that he meant what he said. I haven’t had a dirty diaper for a long time and he only wet six of them today. Tonight after I put him to bed at six I ran up to Lida’s a second and when I came back he had waked up and was standing up in bed saying s___ so I hurried and put him on the toilet and he went alright and then went right back to sleep when I put him in bed again. Pop, are you going to have to start working 48 hours a week now? There will be quite an increase in salary if you do though won’t there? Tomorrow night, Saturday night, we are going over to Calara’s, people from work, to play pinochle and bridge like we did over at our place one night. Sunday we are going over to the Dean’s, the people who live in our garage apartment. There will be six of us and we’re going to have a steak dinner and each couple is to bring something. I’m to bring the dessert so plan to bake a cake. We’ll have fun talking about Mrs. Walter because the Deans are having just as much trouble as we are. I guess I told you the Jews are suing her and they asked me if I would be a witness and I said sure, but I hope it won’t come to that because I would be scared to death. Tell Stella I’m going to write to her Monday because I’ll have the typewriter then and we’re going to be so busy this weekend I probably won’t have a chance. Good night Folks and I’ll write more later and I’m awfully glad to have the picture. Love, Helen We’re going to hang onto all of Mrs. Walter’s letters but when this all blows over I’m going to send you the worst ones so you can see how crazy she is. I still intend to get those peanuts sent soon. Am having trouble finding a box.