Tuesday, Feb. 26th
Dear John and Andrew,
I was-all befuddled last week. Seems to me I put the word "'Monday" above the date while I actually wrote the letter on Wednesday, the 20th; also I recall telling you about TV movie previews of Frederic March in Detective Story and you know I meant Death of A Salesman.
Ann told me noontime we have a letter from you, Andrew, which is the first mail of any sort we received since my bragging last Wednesday. I thought maybe there was a mixup or a new postman for there was in the box Saturday a letter for Dorothy Folker and another for Monroe Tucker. Ann had a letter to you half completed, a page or three; I saw the envelope on the refrigerator last night when I returned from school and she said the kids had ground the contents-to-be into pulp.
For a little news of last week, I came home late Thursday to hear THIS story: Three teen-agers from the high school stole a new car from Model Motors and started up Bloomsbury. The cops met them at the corner and one of the kids pulled a gun. When the shooting died down, two lay wounded and the third escaped by running through to the elementary school and mixing with the home bound students. If you wanted to see the car, it was in front of Model riddled with holes. Now that's the way I heard it via Mommie, Arlene, etc. The next morning a small item in the paper said three boys had picked up a car in Arbutus and, with State Police chasing them, came up Bloomsbury and were cornered when they tried to drive between Sheppard's cab place and Model. Two boys immediately surrendered and the other got away as mentioned before but no shooting. Model Motors, by the way, is now Rowley Motors and is moving up to Peter's Garage at Melvin, which has been empty for sometime.
Mike and Stevie got haircuts last Friday and Mr. Cimino gave Ann Tom's address for relaying to you.' He has your new APO 301 and is with the 5th Infantry.
The wedding has come and gone successfully, we hope, and we, who were worrying how long we were going to have to sit and wait for Puddy, were late. We left home about 1:40 and got tied up in traffic going through town. We didn't get to the church till about two minutes after three and Aunt Alice had already been taken up the aisle. I felt like a dope but they had evidently only waited a minute or two. There were about two hundred people and after the ceremony we went to the American Legion at Edgewood for the reception--about five miles away. There was a funny one: we were one of the first in the car and coming around the church as they pulled away--Uncle Lawrence driving. We, and I guess everybody else, thought we'd do a little horn tooting. But, telling me about it later, Sammy said Uncle Lawrence, who gets perturbed if Sam goes over 35, made it to Edgewood at a steady 85. Ten seconds and they were out of sight. The reception was nice and quiet; they had plenty of ham and other sandwiches, cokes, potato chips and beer; and some punch, with and without, which I passed up. Steven or rather Stephen came into his own and was everywhere. I pulled him out of the bingo supplies in the check room before it was a shambled, he washed his hands in the wrong bowl in the men's room, Arlene rescued him and Michael from the ladies lounge and Ann was there to protect him when he slugged another kid a head taller than he.
We left about a quarter to six and Ann said it was a success so that satisfied me. Oh, yes, about shows in New York, Pud had asked me right after Christmas to send her a section of N. Y. Times and she said they thought they'd spend a few days up there. She tried all the musicals without success for this, the end of February. So we got home about seven and had settled down by the time a good Jimmy Durante show came on. His guest was Gloria Swanson and a ten minute section had her narating while they put on a series of her old films back to 1923. And Show of Shows was one of the best; I didn't fall asleep once.
Ann Clapsaddle's sister Kay called from Harundale to say she had a pair of shoes if Ann wanted them. We went to get them on Sunday afternoon and stayed for an hour. Coming back we had a two minute drive past the holdings of your old friend, J. Fred, the owner of Glen Burnie.
This brings us to today; Ann and I were scheduled to go out this evening. The banks were open last Saturday because of Washington's birthday Friday and I deposited the bond, John, and your m.o., Andrew, and got the funds for dinner and a show. But Virginia informs us tonight is dancing for her and nobody can stay-with Arlene; also, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and I promised Mr. Kistner to do his income tax tomorrow night; finally, tomorrow is also the beginning of Lent and Ann has resolved to forgo liquid refreshment and all sweets. I was talking to Ann as usual lunchtime and she was bluish because the house was a mess and the kids were whooping it up. So, here's what I'm going to do. She won't start dinner till I get home because I told her I was going to wait for Abe who had a meeting supposed to last till 5:30. He just called me, not feeling well, and wants to go at five. I'll get home and pile the lot of them in the car and we'll all go over to the Varsity for dinner, which should be no more than if Ann and I went to the M.H. or Pierr's and a show, especially if we stick to hamburger. If I get the chance, I'll drop you another line tomorrow with the outcome.
We all enjoyed the bit about the Red Cross cigarette girl and, Andrew, are Kool still hard to get? Let us know. If they pipe in records or canned music over there, you can't have missed the Bell Sisters. I tore an item on them out of Pathfinder and am putting it in one of the envelopes.
END OF LETTER
Editor's notes:
Pud - Puddy: Ann's cousin who is just married.
Sammy: Puddy's husband.
Aunt Alice: Ann's Aunt and Puddy's mother.
Uncle Lawrence: Puddy's father.
Ann Clapsaddle: High School friend of Ann.
Mr. Kistner: High School Friend of Charles.
Abe (Scop): Charles' childhood friend.
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.
Next posting: February 28, 1952
Copyright 2012 Stephen A Conner
No comments:
Post a Comment