03 Mar March 3, 1944

Letter
from: Alice Shonkwiler
to: Private George W. Shonkwiler
March 3, 1944, 9:40 p.m.

Dearest,

I received your special delivery letter today.  I’m glad you halfway
apologized for the nasty letter of the day before.  You sure made me feel bad.
I mailed you the package today with the thing you requested.  That is, all
but the shorts, as I didn’t know what kind you wanted, or what size you wear.
So, let me know.  Did I do the right thing in sending your old undershirts?
Or did you want

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me to buy "T"-shirts or something different?

It’s been raining all day today.  Ronnie and I went down to pay that $5 for
Collier’s renewal, then went to the A&P to get a box to mail your clothes in.
Then came back to pack ’em, and then out again to mail it at the post office.
Also stopped in at Hayes’ to get "Tippy", which he had left there a couple of
weeks ago.  Joan was home alone, so I didn’t stay long.

When we came back, I made beef stew for dinner (was real tasty too) and jello
with banana, peaches and whipped cream.  S’pose you had a better dinner than
that, huh?  Guess I should be in the Army.

Page 3.
After dinner tonight, Ronnie, Elinor, and I had a big time.  We were all
jitterbug dancing.  Ronnie sure is catching on.  We also (all of us) chased
each other (Judy, too, barking and so on) around the room in a circle.  Good
thing our tenants were out, or they’d have moved at once.

When Ronnie was saying his prayers tonight, he said "God bless Daddy"  all
three times instead of including Elinor and Mommy.  I wish you could hear him.
Can almost say the whole prayer by heart.

Page 4.
Ronnie eats practically everything all by himself now.  Eats plenty, too.
He’s going to grow up and be a 1-A like Daddy.

I bought some of that powdered rug cleaner and will try it out tomorrow.
Hope it works.

Got an electric bill today, it was $5.89, I think.  This was from January
28th to February 28th.  Wonder what the next one will be.

I tried to find out how much that phone call you made cost, but they told me
they hadn’t received the data on it from Florida.  You could have found out
if you had recalled the operator right after you called.  I did find out that

Page 5.
a five-minute call from Jacksonville is $2.80, plus 20% fed. tax, which
makes it $3.36, plus the extra 42 mi. to Camp Blending.  If you had called
after 7:00 PM it would be cheaper.  Now, since Mar. 1st it’s cheaper after
6:00 p.m. for the benefit of servicemen who make most of their calls between
6:00 and 7:00 PM.

I found out where I can get a driver’s license without an exam, but I’ll have
to pay $3.00 for it.  Rena got hers that way, and will take me to this friend
of hers to get it.

You know Hal (Elsie’s love)?  He’s working in Aideron again

Page 6.
now, and Rena told me he and Elsie eat together every day at the cafeteria
heads close together, and so on.  But he has gone back to his wife and child.
Imagine?  After telling me he never had seen his child and so on.  I can’t
help feeling that seeing Ronnie and you and I together, it gave him a feeling
that he wanted to see it and so on and that’s how they got together.  Of
course, it may be that Hal won’t go out with Elsie now since he went back to
his wife and if he still does go out with her, she must know it won’t do her
any good as long as he went back to his wife when he could

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have had Elsie.  She sure gets herself involved.  She’s still engaged to
Harney tho.  I guess that makes her feel better about going with a married
man.  I don’t know.

Honey, don’t you think that’s an awful chance to take, my driving to Florida
by myself?  I don’t think I’d dare.  Couldn’t I come down by train a couple
weeks before you leave, and you could still take the extra time allowed for
driving and take the train home with Ronnie and I?  I’d take a chance driving
by myself maybe, but I’d hate

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to be responsible for Ronnie too if I had an accident.  I’ve been thinking of
driving to Rockford but haven’t gotten up the nerve yet.  I think if I get my
driver’s license next week, I’ll try to go to Rkfd the next weekend.  I’ll
let you know if I decide to.  I got a letter from Chuck and Betty asking me
to come in soon as they have the guest room finished now.  She said they
painted the bathroom last week.

Well, honey, it is now 12:30 and Elinor is making a snack to eat before going
to bed.  So good night, darling, and here’s a nice kiss to sleep on.

I love you,
Ronnie and Mommy
.