This is thesecond letter in the collection of letters from Dale Melrose home to his parents in Wisconsin.
“Newberg, Ore. Dec. 24, 1911
Dear Folks,
I got your letter and, what was in it, also a letter from Aunt Jane with a dollar in it. I guess I can make use of that *Botany(sic) allright.
I didnt(sic) wake up until noon this day so I missed sunday school and church but I will go to-night. Maybe I will go to Midnight Mass at the Catholic Church too. The store is rushing me for their bill which amts to $12.42 for the last month, but I bought all my stuff to start in on for cash, then in the bill. I got a football jersey which makes provisions for a month amt. to about ten dollars. I am going to have an oyster stew to-morrow and also some raw.
Jim Hess wanted me to come out and eat dinner with him but I hardly dare to am afraid I might over-eat. I spend a good deal of my time practicing on my harp, I have got all of my lessons about down, and am expecting some more by mail before long.
Say! this is the worst country for sleeping you ever saw, if I didn’t set my alarm clock I would sleep all the time I guess.
How has young Frank made it go? Is he working for George or his father.
Well, I guess I will have to get supper. I guess I will take Book-keeping next year then and Physical Geography too the first semester. I am sending my report card, if I would have got one more point in Latin I would have got A in that too. As it was I got 94 and that made me exempt in everything. I borrowed ten dollars from Jim when I started in housekeeping, the I owe ten on the harp also my store bill and – I guess thats all I owe I hate to say anything about my debts vut it can’t be helped, but I figure it is cheaper than it would be if I boarded at Uncle Erns anyway. If I could get a good job somewhere next summer I don’t think I would go to the coast.
Dale Melrose.”
I am leaving the puctuation as he wrote it, so some of those sentences are down-right run-on. I am not sure Aunt Jane or Uncle Ern are – relatives on the Brown side? The letter seems to be a classic, “please send money” but he doesn’t come out and actually say that. My conjecture.
*Botany – that’s a really unusual word to use in that sentence. I *think* he meant “Bounty”, but then a dollar is green and maybe he did mean botany?
Jaci Dawn 