10 Mar March 10, 1944

Letter
from: Alice Shonkwiler
to: Mr. George W. Shonkwiler
March 10, 1944, 10:30pm

Dearest Wes,

Here it is Friday nite and the moon is shining brightly (which means continued
cold, by the way) and Elinor and I are getting our romance by listening to the
radio and reading books - oh me, how I wish you were here just to kiss me and
tell me you love me, etc.  Not very much to ask for, but still impossible.  I’m
worried about not hearing from you on the phone, especially after the operator
told

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me you were going to call last Wednesday night.  Elinor asked me to go to the
show with her tonite, but I refused, thinking I might miss your call.

Didn’t do much today that is exciting to write about.  I washed clothes all
morning until 1:00 P.M. and ironed until supper and continued again until
10:00 o’clock tonite.

This morning at 10:30 A.M. I took time off to go out and play football with
Ronnie in the backyard.  He won’t go out alone to play anymore, says, "it’s too
cold."  It’s not too cold when I go with him, tho.

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He sure knows all the alibi’s for not doing things, now.  Ever since you left
tho, he cries terribly when I leave the house without him.  Guess he’s still
afraid I’ll disappear like you did.  Do you s’pose he’s figured that out?  I’ve
only been to the show twice since you left, so he’s so used to my taking him
with me whenever I go, that that’s probably it, too.

We get such a big kick out of him when Elinor’s home, ’cause he goes up to her,
pulls her hand, and says, "Come on, Elinor,

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let’s dance."  He’s getting to be quite a jitterbug.  Elinor thinks he’s
getting fatter lately.  He certainly has nice rosy cheeks.  Picture of health!

Murray stopped in tonight at about 6:30, looking for Marge.  He was starved
and she wasn’t home, so he thought she might be here.  He said he went thru
Mc Namara’s x-ray file and came across your x-rays.  He said he remembered you
saying Mc Namara didn’t have any x-rays of you, or something.  He says the
the Supt. of the TB Santarium <? aut> home wants to see his x-rays and if

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his lungs haven’t changed since 4 or 5 yrs. ago, he’s going to try to help
Murray get in the Navy.  Sounds like he really wants to get in, now.  Guess
when you can’t do something, you want to all the more.  I think it’d be a good
experience for him, especially if he got in the Army as a private.  He needs a
little roughing up to shake him out of his complacency, or something.  Guess you
know what I mean.  He was telling Elinor today that he’d like to live in an
Apt. Hotel where he wouldn’t have to

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exert himself, just ring a bell when he wanted this or that done.  I just can’t
help hoping he’ll get in the Army.  Am I wicked?

I even think Judy misses you.  Seems she looks so sad and is always watching
the door now-a-days.

A Mr. Novak called the other day.  Said he was from 120th St. (is that Smith’s?)

Wondered if I [you?] still lived here, as he said he had mailed a $10.00
commission check here for you, but it was returned to him.  Said he would mail
it out again in my name, and I could forward it to

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you.  Do you know what he’s talking about?

I called this place Oralee told me about where they store servicemen’s clothes
free after the first year (which you pay for), but of course they’ve
discontinued it, so I’m out of luck.  I’m still sending them to be cleaned and
stored anyway, tho, as the war should be over in a yr. anyway (I hope.)  Neither
cleaning or storage has to be paid until you get them out of storage, so we’ll
worry about that expense then.  It’s $1.00 for storage per garment for

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a year’s storage, plus cleaning charges of course.

Elinore and I are both yawning, but just won’t give up and go to bed.

It’s been pretty cold here. Was about 15 to 18 degrees today, will be 30
degrees tonite and possibly 50 degrees tomorrow, but snow again tomorrow nite.
Guess Ronnie can go sledding again Sunday.

Mrs. Page brought me a book from the Palmer House book shoppe last nite.  It
is "Dragonwyck" by Anya Seton.  She told me I could read it.  Quite a break as
it cost $2.50.  Goodnite, honey, and take good care of yourself, you belong to
me.

Lots of Love,
Mommy and Ronnie
...