24 Jan January 24, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
Jan. 24th, 1945
Wednesday, 2:30 P.M.

Darling,

All is quiet on the Western Front.  Ronnie is sound asleep in his bed and
Muriel is asleep on the Davenport.  Of course, the pups are barking away in
the basement, but I’m getting used to it.  I’ll have to put an ad in the paper
next week, ’cause they’re getting too big to have around.  It should have been
done today, but found that the deadline for ads was today noon, so --.

Muriel is definitely going to work at Douglas Aircraft tomorrow.  They (Douglas)
found a place for her to live on the North side at 4943 Kenmore.  It’s an
apt. Hotel, the Northmere.

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Her shift is from 1:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.  She’ll work 6 1/2 hrs.  and get paid
for eight - not bad!  Maybe I should go there, too.  They also arrange rides
for their employees, which is pretty nice, too.

I rec’d a letter from you today dated Jan. 5th, which is previous to the
letters I got Monday, dated Jan. 12, 14, and 15th.  Now of course I’m anxious
to hear how your gastric juice test and x-rays came out.

Glad to hear you got the cablegram at last, although I see now it was a waste
of $4.00, as my letters got to you before the cable.  But then there was a
chance that you might have rec’d it sooner, and at the time, even a slim chance
was worthwhile, because

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I knew you hadn’t had any mail for so long, and I felt that possibly the
cablegram might get there sooner.  Of course if you had still been in Germany
or France perhaps you might have rec’d it sooner.

8:00 P.M.
Since I wrote the above Ronnie and I brought Muriel and her luggage down to the
I.C. station, and window shopped on the Avenue and came home for a light supper.
We had our dinner at noon today, so we didn’t eat much tonight.  Ronnie did
pretty well both times, however.

When Gladys was here last weekend, she said Ronnie was fatter than he was at
Christmas, so I guess he’s

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healthy.  He sure is a little Dickens, just bosses me around just like someone
else I know!  Wonder who that could be!  Come to think of it maybe being in the
army will cure you of that habit, do you suppose?

I just called Gladys and she said she got a letter from Dick dated Jan. 5th,
and he’s still in [the] same town in Holland, and doesn’t seem to be in danger.
He doesn’t write much, so she doesn’t know much about what he’s doing, etc.  I
got his address for you, altho Gladys said she wrote you and gave you his
address.

   Pvt. Richard Hacker, 35836909
   Spec. Sers Station
   Hq. 9th U.S. Army
   APO 339

   % Postmaster, New York, N. Y.

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This address sounds like he might be in the Divisional Hq., or something
similar.  Am I right.[?]  What were you in, the Bn. Hq.?

When you write to Dick, please don’t mention what I said about Gladys’s
suspicions, etc., in my last letter,  will you?  You might remind him to write
Gladys oftener in a subtle way, however.  Altho I don’t suppose that would be
advisable either, as that would sound as though she had been complaining.  I
guess the best thing is just forget about it.

I had told Ronnie the other day, at breakfast, where you would be sitting at
the table, etc., when you come back, and today when I sat down in your

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place at the table, he said, "Mommie, sit on the other side." I said, "why,"
and he replied, "That’s Daddy’s chair."  I got a bang out of that!  I explained
to him that you would sit there when you came home, and asked him if I could
sit there, now.  He said, "Okay."

Certainly wish you were here ’cause I know you’d get a big kick out of all the
things he says and does.  He can really keep up a conversation now, and even
makes sense most of the time.

I’m reading a book now, "Forever Amber" by Kathleen Windsor.  It’s written
about an English girl in the year 1644 in Restoration, England.  The book is
972 pages, and doubt whether I’ll ever find [the]

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time to finish it.  My eyes can’t take continual reading either, it seems.

I’m really what is considered as "poor as a church mouse" tonight, as I have
just 49 cents between now and Saturday, and have $8.73 to pay out for my
insurance, and also an unpaid telephone bill of $5.99.  I also owe over $12.00
at Bernie’s -- Poor me!  Won’t be long before I get the allotment, I guess, but
even 8 or 9 days is a long time, isn’t it?  I’ll manage, somehow, I suppose.  I
have $10.00 to collect on one of the pups, so that will help.  I got $10.00 for
the first one last Saturday, but it’s already spent.  The veterinarian took
most of

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it for cutting off the puppy’s tails and Judy’s tapeworm treatment.

Just had a phone call from Henry Jostis, asking how you were, etc.  He said he
wrote you a couple weeks ago, but used your old address, so you may not get it
for a long time.  I gave him your hospital address, so perhaps you’ll write
again.  He also asked if he could borrow your camera for some indoor pictures.
He said it’s impossible to get film for his camera, as they aren’t making #130
film anymore.  Wish he’d take some pictures of Ronnie, too, while he’s taking
his, but don’t s’pose he will unless I suggest it, and

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I wouldn’t have that much nerve.

Well, all I can do now is hope and pray some more that you’ll be sent home,
and that’s just what Ronnie and I do at bedtime every night, (plus Ronnie’s
kissing at least six of your photos every night).

Goodnight, now, honey, and you keep on thinking your wife is one true gal over
there, and I’m sure she’ll stay that way, and of course she expects the same of
her husband.  Fair enough?

We love you,
Mom and Ronnie