54 Ruth earns $4.40 counting election ballots

December 5, 1934

Dear Kinney,

I got your letter on Wednesday and Mother got hers from Aunt Ev. No Harriet has not the chicken poxes yet. Mother says that I can go to the matinee but my scabs are still on and the teacher says I cannot go to school. So mother says that I am going to school to tomorrow. I am too then they can send me home if they want to. I am going to walk down to the theater with mother because Buddy has to have his dress down there. Yesterday I went over to Lundgrens to stay because mother had to be clerk for voting at the town hall. Yes it sure is a gyp that I have the chicken poxes. Yes that last sentence is kind of a tongue-twister. Yes I hope that my chicken poxes would be O.K. don’t you? I have just started to write to you now because I just came back from going down town to the theater. Mother says do you want to come and sing “in a jinrikisha” and I said I would so I will come back afterwards and write some more. Why do you use so many thems? Mother just said that she doesn’t care to do anything. I am writing what I can think of. This morning I stayed in bed till 10 o’clock. Mother forgot to deliver the papers and Daddy had to deliver them. Because Harriet was in the specialty. I have just been to the matinee and everybody did just fine. We are going to mail this right now after supper. Then afterwards I went outside and saw a pony. Lots of Love, Gloria Ruth Stafford.

Dear Corinna ,

Gloria has been writing to you again but she left her letter in a hurry to go with the school children down to the Matinee.

I was very glad to get Aunt Ev’s letter. So glad Russy likes his music lessons and that Kinny is a good girl. Harriet’s Weekly Reader had a picture of the big parade in New York including the giant Micky Mouse. Was that the one Russy saw?

Well I was in politics yesterday. The beds were not made till night and the ironing waited and the kitchen floor was unswept but Mother Stafford made $4.40 all her own. Haven’t gotten it yet tho but I know I will. The time went fast down there—it took about 2 hours to count the ballots and make out the report and turn it over. I came home at 7. Polls closed at 5.

Gloria had had a good time at Lundgren’s all day.

Myron is wearing Genevieve’s blue lace dress and slip in the play. He has Miss Lund’s white shoes and my silk stockings—Miss Steen’s necklace—a red wig. Yesterday he went into the hall up at school all dressed up in it to see if anyone knew him. Merlin Bomsta is serving as Adult Education Janitor up there and he was in the hall. He looked at Buddy but never said a word and so Buddy turned around and walked back into the room without letting on who he was. Mr. Bomsta asked Mr. Miller who that female was and when Mr. Miller told him he said, “Well, I’ll be G-d,Damned.” Myron was nearly in convulsions laughing when he told me about it.

I am going tonight and so is Myrtle I think. Gloria will go over and stay with Bobby as Myrtle thinks Gloria wouldn’t be giving the Pox anymore now. I will write you how the play went day after tomorrow. We listened to Rosa Ponselle Mon. night. Winnie was here too. We said we could hear Uncle ROC and Kinny clap—tell us if you did. We were all so thrilled about your being there. Love, Mother.