Ethel to Lester, September 20, 1936

Sept 20, 1936 Cleveland O.

Dearest Hubby:

How are you sweetie mine? Everything O.K.? I was rather expecting you home. Please darling tell me down deep in your heart do you really love me and miss me or don’t you feel anything at all. The last words I say before I fall asleep at nite are Honey I love you so, If I think too much about you, being way out in somewhere, it just makes me sick.
Saturday afternoon, Mother and dad and I went to Producers for ice cream, and some fellow came in and one of the clerks said, hello there Schmuck. Do you suppose it could have been her brother? Wirt’s niece Lulu Smith is here from Clarksburg, And Wirt has joined a ritzy Country Club out in Columbia Hills and he took her and me out for dinner there last nite. And while we were there the manager was talking to me and he told me he lives above the Rose Drug on 101st and Madison. I think his name was Hartman. Boy Wirt is travelling in class now. And he took his niece downtown yesterday and bought her a new dress (an expensive one) shoes, gloves and purse, had her hair cut and her nails manicured. And he made the people on Bunts downstairs to move and you know Voltz’s, well he has to make them move, they are behind in their rent and they bought a new car and the people down stairs complain that they fight every nite and so loud they can’t sleep. And she complains he doesn’t make enough and that she is used to $10 corsets and now she has to wear a $1.00 one. Wirt says a poor man should never marry a nurse cause they are used to lots of money Wirt says she is bigger now then when she carried the baby. And darling, I’m not trusting Wirt, I think he has something up his sleeve and I’m going to make it my business to find out what.
Darling the Legionaires are here and they say a woman isn’t safe on the street alone. I don’t know what to do about getting to and from work.
I see the Communists have a nigger up for Vice Pres. Darling won’t you please give it up. It spoils your personality and besides it makes me unhappy cause it is going to cause trouble between us. And honey, please write oftener. Darling when you get home, before you take your car out you’ll have to get a drivers license. Everyone driving has to have one by Oct 1st so I guess you’ll have to go to the Automobile Club for yours. I guess it costs 40c. But honey all that worries me, is when are you coming home and giving your baby some loving. At nites is when I feel the worst and when I see the young couples out walking. So you see honey I love you just oodles and guess I always will be adoring you. Loads and loves and kisses from you wife Ethel