Concord, NC Rt 3
January 8, 1933

My dear Sister,

I intended to write you sooner but it seems so easy to put it off. They have all had the flu here except Mavis and I. Howard was in bed one day last week but is better now.

Elwyn came home Xmas morning. We went to the train to meet him and stopped at the church to get our Christmas treat and have Sunday School. We had planned an exercise but so many of the children were sick and the roads were almost impassable so we called it off and just had the treat.

We got home and I had left Manlius in bed with the flu and Muriel just able to sit up and Buren had come back from milking half sick and when Dulcie got in the house I had to undress her and put her to bed she had had a chill and was very sick for several days. I was afraid she was going to have pneumonia. Elwyn had written us not to give out the presents at home off the Xmas tree until he arrived so of course they wanted to do that right away and he hadn’t had any breakfast so I wanted to hurry dinner up and I never did get all fixed that I had planned to have. I finally just told them to come and eat. We had a roasted goose with dressing and noodles. I felt sorry for Dulcie getting sick and not being able to eat anything. We carried her in the parlor while we were giving out the presents but she was too sick to enjoy it. After she got hers she had to go back to bed.  Elwyn brought us all presents. He gave me a pretty house dress and apron. I gave him a Bible with his name engraved in gold on the cover.  He looks so well, is much heavier than he was. He went back Monday night. I felt like he had hardly been here. I had a letter from him last week and he said he had been sick for several days but had kept on working.  He works at the dairy in the morning and at a sanitary grocery store in the afternoon. He says he works awfully hard but he likes it though he sometimes wishes he were at home. He had wanted to send you his photo for Xmas, but I didn’t send him you address in time, so he left one here for me to send to you.  I suppose you have gotten it ere this. His address is 60 N. Virginia Ave, Claredon, Virginia. I do not think the picture is so very good of him. He looks better than it does.

I saw Annie Sapp at church. They are well, Annie has completed her six years without missing a Sunday at Sunday School. Several Sundays ago when the roads were impassable with sleet and snow, and it was job for us to go to the barns and back, what did Annie do but get out, she and Annie Marie, and walk three miles to church and back home making six miles in all. A wonderful Sis that, don’t you think? I don’t believe another like her could be found in all the world. Fred and Ruby had adopted a baby girl five months old. Ruby was to see Julie Carpenter last week. Julie told her about Ella’s daughter losing a child just before Xmas. Julie didn’t go to the funeral, said she didn’t feel able physically. Ruby stopped at Uncle Will’s, said he was well and Herd’s wife has a baby girl born New Years day, which makes three, one boy and two girls for them.

You ask me about the election. I worked as official marker for the Republican side without pay. The Democratic markers received $2.50. I voted straight Republican. If you could see how things have gone in this state where the Democrats have complete control you could not in good conscience vote for them. No Republican can get a job as school teacher in this County. At Kannapolis they will not hire anyone if they know he is a Republican. They have hired people from Georgia in preference to people around here because they are all Democrats and of course they can put over anything or elect any one they want to. I am not crazy about Hoover, I had hoped they would elect another man, But I am not expecting Roosevelt to help matters much either. Though he may be a fine man, I know nothing against him, yet he stands for the repeal of the 18th amendment and that is sacred to the American people and should not be meddled with. I just can’t see how in the world getting beer and liquor back is going to bring prosperity. Why it will bring poverty, woe and misery. I’d like to know who is going to drink it. I’m sure I don’t want my boys and girls to even know the taste. We had raised up a generation who did not know anything about liquor and now they have to put it right before them. I am anxious to see better times, but not at the expense of our youth. Hope Donald will soon get work. I feel sorry for people who want work and just can’t find anything to do. Why don’t you let him work for you and give him what he can make above expenses as the fox farm or what ever you have to do. Possibly he could make a success where you all have failed if he were given a chance. Where does Frank and children live? Does he have work? Did he ever get a divorce and did his wife marry again or do they know anything about him?

Hope this finds you well. Best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Lovingly,
Lillias