17 Feb February 17, 1944

Letter
from: Alice Shonkwiler
to: Pvt G.W. Shonkwiler
February 17th, 1944.

Hello Honey,

Well, I went downtown today, but where were you? Got all my hopes up and just
had them blasted to bits again.  Oh me!  That’s the penalty of a soldier
hubby, I guess.

A girl came up and asked me if I was Mrs. Shonkwiler and said you had phoned
her too.  Boy I’m jealous.  I got there about 11:45 and she had been there
since 11:15 and she overheard me ask the clerk about trains from Ft Sheridan,

Page 2.
and thought perhaps I might be your wife and believe it or not, it was.
Anyway, the agent said that no trains from Ft Sheridan stops there after
12:00 noon on Saturdays.  But he said you might be at the Union Depot,
La Salle Street, or the I.C., or at Dearborn and State, or at the Northwestern
Depot, which gave us a lot to work on.  We looked around in the I.C. Depot
and went home very sadly disappointed.  I knew it was a slim chance, but
Mrs. Evers (is that her name?) really had planned on seeing him.

Page 3.
Been spending money right and left it seems.  Had June in tonight, while
Elinor and I went to State Theater.  I bought a bottle of hand lotion and a
bottle of Listerine before going in and dropping them both on the way out,
stumbling on a step.  Just like me, isn’t it?  Guess I’d better tell you all
the silly things I do, and then you won’t miss me so much.  Or do you?

Received your nice letter today before I went downtown.  Gave Ronnie a kiss
for you,

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and vice versa.  I like ’em better in person, though.  What am I saying?
(Might as well let you in on it, I sort of like you, honey!)

June told us her boyfriend and his <? boyfriend> [friend]  came to help her
with her exam tonight.  I don’t know how to tell her not to bring her
boyfriends here.  And yet, I promised her grandmother I would.  Have you
any suggestions?

Well, it’s now 12:30 a.m. so sweet dreams, honey and think of us once-in-a-
while.

Love, Mommy and Ronnie.

P.S.
Soldiers’ Mail is free if marked, FREE, in upper right-hand corner and your
address is in the left-hand corner.