Monday June 14, 1943

Dear Mavis:

Received two letters this morning, your Wednesday and Thursday letters. The one you wrote Wednesday looked as if Johnnie had hold of it for it was so wrinkled.  I am glad you are gaining strength and that you will soon be well again, for I am still counting the days.  Johnnie must be some boy if he can do all the things you mentioned. I try to imagine what he will look like when I see him again.  Hope you won't have to be separated from him for two months like I have but maybe you wouldn't mind, would you? Has he gained very much in weight and how many pounds does he weigh?  I wonder if I will have any trouble getting him to remember me? (isn't that sill(.  I am really proud he favors somebody but hope he has some of your traits.

I must interrupt this topic to tell this: "Alexander just brought in a bloom".  He is so excited about it.  The cotton up there must be as large there as it is here, for I don't believe the cotton will average half-knee high here, but it is growing and forming fine.  I still have some cotton that isn't clean, only about ten acres.  We should get everything looking good in the way of farming this week.

Sometimes I want to see you and Johnnie so bad that I am tempted to make the trip up there and bring you both back to mississippi.  I went by the Ration Office Saturday and got a form to fill out for a C gas book. They will give it to me all right.  Don't think too much about it for I don't want you to have any false hopes about me making the trip but by July 1st I should have the rush over as far as making this crop is concerned.

Mama is canning more beans today. This is about the third time she has canned beans.  I surely must be trying to make you homesick, for I am always telling about something to eat.  I notice a big bucket full of cucumbers in the kitchen this morning.  I suppose Mama will can everything that she is able to out of the garden, so don't worry about anything going to waste.  Maybe we will be able to get peaches.  The Barr's had some May peaches ripe about two or three weeks ago.  They had some in town and Mr. Rubinstein gave me some of them. They were good.  I noticed in the paper that the fruit was going to be scarce in Arkansas where they grow so many peaches that they bring here in the Delta to sell.

This letter writing was interrupted for I had to go to the field where they were chopping cotton.  I have some of the people from the Kelley place here today working.

Thanks for reminding me about the income tax in your letter last week.  I have been doing quite a bit of worrying about it for several days.  I had to borrow the money from the Valley Bank to pay it.  I made out the checks this morning and will mail them this afternoon when I mail this letter.  Mr. Wilbanks over at Cleveland and also Mr. Rubinstein offered to let me have the money to pay them, but I had rather get it from the bank.  So maybe your husband won't have to go to jail after all.  Sometimes I feel fortunate in being able to get money, but if there were not so many people wanting to lend it to me I might be better off.  Honesty will pay off after all.  You never did say how much your hospital and doctor bills were.  I just wonder, for I am trying to keep enough money in the bank to take care of the checks you give.  I really give plenty of them myself, so it is hard to keep up with the financial end of things.

I wonder if you enjoy all this rambling I am doing in writing this letter.  I was interrupted again to eat dinner so here I go again.

People are always asking me when you are coming home and they tease me about running about so much.  They say it is easy to understand with you away from home. Really I don't go very much.  I think I have mentioned every place I have been in the letters I have written you.

Went to Sunday School yesterday afternoon.  There was no preacher, so Miss Glenn had the job.  The usual crowd was there.  Mrs. Moore, Mrs Tyer, Mr. and Mrs Dalton Moore and myself. There was seven or eight children as usual.  Mr. Bogy always comes for preaching.  Mr. Earnest Moore wasn't there yesterday.

I asked Mrs. Moore about Rev. Hartsfield.  She said he returned to Rosedale this past week.  Mr. Moore went past to see him and said one of his arms was all drawn up.  They believe he had a stroke at the time he and Mrs. Hartsfield had their trouble  He hardly remembers when he left Rosedale.  He plans to est up until July before he tries to start back to preaching again.