July 21, 1952 - Noontime
Dear Andrew and John
Here's what I have been able to find out about the housing situation. Mrs. Burton tells me the people left sometime last week and she went out last Friday to have them clean up the place and see if any painting or repairing needs to be done. Unless something changes her mind, she wants to meet Ann and the little ones out there next Sunday, July 27, to show all of us the inside. And, as to the moving date, she told me to mark my calendar for Monday, August 4, two weeks from today. Now we're going to take all this as gospel and Ann is planning accordingly. The big hitch right now is our present house. We talked to Schatz again and he suggested bringing the price down to eighty five hundred and maybe something could be done. We are almost positive Cimino wants the place and for around $8000, but the thing I've been worrying about is that maybe Schatz is in with him and stalling till we have to get out and thinks we'll accept a lower price. We don't feel we can go any lower both for your benefit and for ours also. To try and press Schatz a little, I'm going to get a letter off today canceling our agreement. I signed up in May for 3 months but notice must be given in writing 30 days prior to cancellation. I'll try to smooth it over by saying I'm sure the place will be sold before the termination of the agreement but since we are getting out in two weeks we'd rather have the place rented than let it stay idle. I'll say that but we don't want to do it under any circumstances. So there are plenty of headaches. I guess by the time you receive this you had better send any correspondence to 700 Cathedral until I get the definite address. On John's allotment, I noted It is dated the first of the month. I'm going to leave one of those forwarding cards at the Post Office and will ask them, if the check doesn't come by the 4th, if it will be OK to pick it up there as I am the one it is addressed to. I'm sure it will work out but if you want to continue it, John, I think you said you are the one who has to notify of a change in address. If you'd like to get it in right away, the address is certain to be Hydes, Maryland, or to be more explicit, Long Green Pike and Hyde Road, Hydes, Maryland. The mail will bet to Hydes station all right because Mr. Musselman from Overlea, where Ann was staying, is the Railway postman on the Ma and Pa that delivers to Hydes. That Hyde or Hydes spelling is confusing; I have a postmark here at the office with "Hyde" and another that cane in a week or so ago for the Doctor, with "Hydes". On the map the road is given as "Hydes}" and the actual road sign near the house spells it "Hyde". So let's make it "Hydes".
To change the subject, when I was at the Post Office last week at the lower level, sending a sample of our mica to Mexico, I noticed they have a chart which looked homemade with colored inks, listed RPO numbers from 1 to 8 or 9 hundred; 301 wasn't listed and there were many other gaps as well. Each listed number had from one to five colored symbols beside it. At the bottom the legend showed each stood for something that could not be sent to that particular APO. For example, a number of them called for no coffee, no cigarettes and no candy.
We have been baking in terrific temperatures and humidity for more than a week which kept us close at home on Saturday. At night we turned on the TV for "The Last of The Mohicans" and I liked it as well as Arlene did. Yesterday was another hot one and again we stayed at home till about five o'clock Ann suggested she had never seen Gambrill State Park above Frederick. That's where we went, arriving about 6:15 and found it wonderfully cool that high up. We stayed till they closed at 7:00 and were back hone by 8:40 with the heavier traffic. We got the kids into bed, then I turned out my pockets with my bankroll of 46¢ and Ann doubled it so I took her over the Westway to see "Walk East on Beacon", one of those documentary films like the "House on 53rd St." (or is it 93rd). We were home again a little past eleven for another restless night.
I JUST GOT A CALL FROM MRS. BURTON AT 12:25 AND YOU'LL HAVE TO DISCOUNT IN PART SOME OF THE ABOVE. SHE SAYS SHE NOW HAS WORD FROM THE BOYS PAINTING OUT THERE THAT THEY CAN'T FINISH UNTIL ABOUT THE FIFTEENTH OF AUGUST AND AS SHE WOULDN'T HAVE US MOVE ON SATURDAY FOR "NO ONE STAYS IF THEY MOVE INTO A HOUSE ON SATURDAY" WE SHOULD NOW MAKE THE POSITIVE DATE FOR MOVING AUGUST 18. I TOLD HER WE WANTED TO CONTACT A MOVER AND WOULD HAVE TO LET THEM KNOW FOR SURE AND SHE SAID AUGUST 18 WOULD BE DEFINITE. HOWEVER, SHE STILL WANTS US TO COME OUT THIS SUNDAY, JULY 20, IF IT IS NOT TOO WARM TO LOOK THE PLACE OVER. SO IT MIGHT WORK OUT BETTER THIS WAY. IT GIVES A LITTLE MORE TIME TO GET RID OF THE HOUSE WITHOUT LETTING IT SIT VACANT AND WE MAY GET THINGS LINED UP A LITTLE BETTER. ANN WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED WHEN I CALLED HER JUST NOW AS SHE OBTAINED A NUMBER OF LARGE BOXES ON SATURDAY AND HAS BEEN PACKING THINGS RIGHT AND LEFT.
I'm going to stop this one now. There's no gossip or news I can think of. I guess it's because all this other stuff is on our minds but. I'll write you a few short ones when I think of something as the week progresses.
END OF LETTER
Editor's Notes:
Charles works for Dr. and Mrs. Burton who have promised him the use of a larger house near their farms northeast of Baltimore.
Next Posting: July 29, 1952
Copyright 2012 Stephen A Conner
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