Concord, NC

Route #3

April 23, 1943

(Friday Afternoon)

Dear Ruel,

I wonder if you have gotten home yet. I feel very much the worse for wear even though Johnnie and I slept about all afternoon. It is raining here now.

I know you wonder how we made out on the remainder of the trip. We kept the Pullman from Anniston to Atlanta and would have stayed on that car to Charlotte had there been a vacant booth. It was surely nice that little way though. Johnnie kicked and played until he went to sleep. We arrived in Atlanta too late for the 10 o'clock train so we had to wait until 1:30 for a Charlotte bound train. This train was also late and it was fifteen until three before we left there. Johnnie slept until the conductor came along calling for tickets and woke him up. After a feeding I fixed him a nice bed in the rest room and he slept until morning. I rested a little, but I can't tell it the way I feel now. Johnnie was a little fretful until we reached Charotte. When we arrived Muriel, Papa, and Kenneth were there to meet us. They thought the baby was so big and were surprised that he laughed so much for them. It was 10:15 - we got home around 11.

Red Caps were at the station to carry my bags. In Atlanta I met a WAAC from Concord. We sat together the rest of the trip. She tended the baby while I ate breakfast and was a very nice companion. I was able to manage pretty well even though I had to fix Johnnie two bottles that weren't very sanitary.

Since it is mainly Johnnie that you are interested in and are missing(?), I'll have to tell you how he is doing. Jo has him in a basket with a string tied to it and is pulling him over the floor. He wants to keep going. They can't decide who he looks like. Papa says he has Shinn eyes and then he says he looks like Mrs. Turner. They all think he is unusually active and large for his age. They say we are to have a baby show tonight. All of them will be home for a fish supper.

Did Hiram get to see the baby before you left? I know Evelyn was glad when he came. Hope they find a place to stay. The train was full of women who had been visiting someone in the service - many of them had little babies. The ones Johnnie's size seemed to be faring better than the 2 and 3 year old ones.

Let me hear from you. I think I'll feel better after some sleep.

Love,

Mavis