51 Gloria gets chicken pox

November 28,1934

Dear Kinny,

Today I am going to stay home from school because I have chicken poxes and I think Harriet will get them too. Harriet said the next morning to me,”why don’t you have more?” And I said, “I cannot help it because I haven’t any more.” Then she said that she didn’t want to go to school.   She told me that she was going to tell the teacher that I had chicken poxe and then the teacher would send her home because she hadn’t had it and now she’s gone to school. Last night before mother went to church she undressed me and I had a few spots on me and then we got the book of the people’s Home Library and in that book there was a picture of chicken poxe, and in that book it said that you had to have some medicine on it. We are not going to. Then Harriet read a little farther and it said that you had to have them pricked. We wouldn’t have them pricked. That’s all I am going to talk about of chicken poxes. Thursday we are going to get out of school because it is Thanksgiving and we will miss you. And on Friday we don’t have school either. It rained all day yesterday and it is raining today. And mother is washing she will have to keep her clothes in the tub till the sun shines, she says. I wish I could hear Phyllis say that about Harriet and I at the table when we are there. You are lucky to be there to hear her. Mother read the letter to us but she left out some. Lots of love, Gloria

Dear Kinny,

Day before yesterday I wrote to you and said I’d only had a few chicken pox but now I have them on my legs, back, neck, head, and on my arms. I fooled mother this morning by making the bed alone. I watched mother clean the turkey this morning. Mother has a new recipe for cranberries. She ground a pound of them and two oranges, and some of the rind, and put in two cups of sugar and you don’t boil it. I just got done doing the dishes. When we were doing the dishes someone knocked at the door and mother went to the door and who should she see but Miss Steen and Miss Branae and they asked mother if she had cut out the dress yet and she said, no. When Buddy heard they were gone he went in the kitchen and finished his dinner and when Miss Steen went she said goodby poxe. Lots of Love, Gloria

Dear Kinney, In here is $2.00 for the bedspread. From us all, Harriet S.

Dear Corinna,

Gloria sits here scratching first one place and then another. She is “contrarier than ever—the itching makes her irritable. She has been writing to you again in her own style.

I am making a pin check blue gingham dress for Harriet for the specialty—that pattern like their dresses they got from Winnie for their birthday. I was over to Art Holm’s this afternoon and cut H’s and Marjorie’s out at the same time as Miss Steen has left me in charge of the dresses. Tonight I am going over to Ethel Holm’s to show her how we are making them. I will go on the bike. We make them sleeveless and with a sash. The girls are to wear sun bonnets too but Miss Branae will have that done in Home Ec.

Marjorie Lundgren has the pox now but she will be well I’m sure by next Wednesday.

What a lovely shopping trip you must have had. Lucile was over at Art Holm’s helping her with the Thanksgiving dinner—I started to tell her about it and she said, ‘I know—I got a letter this morning and I know all you’re going to get for Christmas.” And I said, “I know what you’re going to get too.” That was a lovely present Aunt Ev bought for you. Your toe will think it’s in clover—(so to speak).

I delivered papers for Harriet Monday and Tuesday as she was busy practicing and of course Gloria couldn’t go out. Today she delivered them herself because all the teachers went home right after school and there was no practicing.

Tomorrow we are going to have turkey, pear salad, peas, apple pie, etc. Yes I am going to church as usual but someone will be home to watch the oven I guess. I will get up early and bake the apple pies as that is about all there is left to do—potatoes are even peeled.

I enclose a picture that will interest you all. It is not so good of Dr. O’Brien but fine of Karl.

The sun came out this afternoon and this week’s wash it finally dry.

Olga Arneson just called up for a telephone visit with me. She asked all about you and was so glad to hear you are having such a good time. I had a little chat with Una Starke Tues. eve at Chorus Practice. She is getting so pretty and is she ever a loyal friend of yours! But how she hates Atwater!

Gloria has written you a letter on birch bark which I enclose. Hope you can read it. Love from Mother.

Yes, Kinny the presents from us to Karl’s and Paul’s are from you too but I think you ought to get some little thing for Uncle ROC, Russy and Phyllis too. It wouldn’t need to cost much. I am sending ROC 3 initialed linen kerchiefs and Russy a U.S. puzzle. I haven’t mailed them yet. It isn’t very much I know.

On birch bark: Dear Kinny, I have just been reading my history lesson and this is what the little pilgrim boys and girls wrote on. They read out of horn book. They had log houses for their schools. The teacher was a man and he was sometimes cross. The benches were made of half of a log on pegs. They wrote with goose quill pens. Some of these girls and boys became fine men and women. They had no real books like we have. Gloria