Port Arthur Tex

July 25, 1923

My Darling Florence;

Glad to hear you have had such a wonderful time on your birthday. I sure wished I could have been there to see you enjoy them. Didn’t it bother your leg. It must be OK. I have surely worried about it since you wrote. You know that is a dangerous thing to play with. It was so hot today when I got home from work I was sure sweating and kinda tired too you, just thinking of you as I almost got here and sure enough such a darling letter from the Dearest little Girl. You sure can write interesting letters when you want to. I was just to thrilled over reading it.

My leg is almost well now but still the wound is about this size (see drawing) Still open too. But you see it doesn’t hurt and swells just a little when I work. Of course I am still conscious of the fact that I have been hurt.

I am so awfully tired tonite so Florence my Darling I am going to bed and I will try to write tomorrow and do better. This is surely a poor excuse but I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you. I hope you haven’t taken that letter wrong that I wrote Sun.

Lots and Lots of Love

Your Fred

Port Arthur Tex

July 24, 1923

My Dearest Darling Florence;

This is the day isn’t it. This is the great day but for one thing. It’s so unfortunate that this thing had to happen. I am sure sorry and I am worried about hot you are. I am sure you are very much worried too. Does it pain lots. I’ll bet it does if it is as you say the bruise is bad. Only if I could be there to comfort you a little. It surely would be a great comfort to see some one that you care for so much. Florence if I wished for you once, I wished for you a thousand times while I was laid up. Just a sight and a touch of your soft hands and (—?) would have been such a great relief. I am sure you are wishing for me as as I did for you and I only wish I could be there, just for a short while anyway. What did the doctors say about your leg? If I had been you I would have had that form dog killed & examined instantaneously. I would not have waited at all. Why didn’t you do that and play safe, then the doctors would have known how to treat it. Did the doctor cut the wound open and let it bleed, then fill it full of very strong antiseptic. This may sound bad, but that’s what I would have done as soon as he bit me. That is to keep the poison from spreading. Florence my Dear I sure hope you do get much better real soon. Please do the favor of being careful, because that is 90% of cure is being careful and letting nature take its course. Don’t go running around until you are absolutely sure that you are OK. Please do this Florence because I care as much as you do about it.

I am so sorry I wrote that last letter & sent it while you were down. If I had known it I would not have sent it. But Florence my Dear I had it in my system and I had to tell you what I tho’t so if I absolutely wrong, tell me. I hope I am wrong you said in your letter that you were ashamed to admit it but you are a little doubtful about me. There is only one that I care for Florence, and you know who it is. How can you doubt me. All these days down here and no date, not even been in the presence of one girl more then 15 minutes. Florence on Sunday & Sat nite I get so lonesome for you that I think I will go nuts.

Every time I see a Buick my heart misses a beat. The only time I wish I could have a date is Sun afternoons but I think I can get along without them very easily. I have not met very many girls, and most of them are wall flowers.

But listen my Dear there is only one whom I care for and that one has a mighty strong hold on me. Oh! How I wish I could talk to you. We could understand each other so much better. I can’t express myself just right in words of writing. Florence, you know how I care for you, so don’t forget that I love you lots & lots. Many times I have told you, but a little repetition is impressive. I wish you all the luck in the world. Lots & lots of love.

Be good my Dear

Fred

Caguntown

July 21, 1923

My Great Big little girl; By the time you get this you will have passed out of your sixteenth  into your seventeenth. You are having the most wonderful year of your life. Is that not what you said. I expect you will have a glorious time at your dance at Sylvan, will you not. Who all are going, do I know em? It’s so unfortunate that you had to have your birthday on the same day as Marjorie Lewis has her wedding. So many more would be in the bunch. I have just written you a letter and I suppose you will get up in the morning. Writing again today I can’t find much to say but I will try to. As I haven’t much to do and I want to wish you a very happy time July 24 and I hope you will have many more. Gee I wish I could be there to help you celebrate as you surely did have me celebrate mine and I never will forget that day as long as I live. The day I passed from a boy to a child and the one I cared for so much had me such a good time and made things so wonderful. Florence, My Dear only if we could have the same bunch together at your birthday and have the same good time. I don’t think that I have had such a good time in all my life and it was such a surprise. Oh Gee, for the time again.

In your last two letters you have asked me why I have said changed hands so many times. Florence I really said that before I thought and suppose I should not have. I’ll tell you why if you promise you will not get angry. You said it hurt you awfully much. Maybe you think it didn’t hurt me. I’ll tell you why and I don’t want you to pay any attention to it if I am wrong. Now I may be guessing, but I think I am right. In your letters you have met boys from time to time. You have told me about it, you have had good times, you have told me about it. Now that is it. It’s not that you told me, it’s how you told it. Several years ago I swore that I would not have anything to do with a girl who continually raved about the good times she had with some other boy, or how handsome another boy was. Nobody cares for such things as they bore them to death. They get the impression that that is what a person’s life consists of, that is the channel their mind runs in. Now test yourself and see if these things that I say are not right, if they are wrong I deserve you an apology and a very big one. You will be furiously mad and maybe think I am a very impudent person. But Florence my Dear there is something that is wrong somewhere and I must straighten it out. I think so much of you and I just can’t let you get away. That’s the reason I must see this straight. Another thing too, you are real young and are just beginning to see a new side of life, you are at the age where a person changes from one view to another. That is a child’s things are laid aside and others taken up. When you meet a boy that looks good to you, do you rave about him to others, and continuously let him run through your mind,  and at the same time let others know about it. If you do I think you are a little wrong in doing so and this is what I meant when I said you are going to lose friends. Nothing is so boring to me, and I think to others, as to have some girl tell of such a handsome, magnificent, wonderful boy or time. I have studied your letters from the last few weeks and really Florence I do believe this is what is going to happen. I may be wrong, I hope I am. You have said in several of your letters that you wondered if I were in Houston whether I would care as much for you as I did when I left. Won’t you tell me what it is you mean. So many things you say you will tell me when I get back. These previously mentioned things are worrying me and I want to get them straight. If you want to write on the subject all right, but if you do not, let it pass over, but my Dear if these things fit you, watch out, because I have known lots of girls who are very very unpopular on this account. They have a very attractive personality and all the other youthful attractions but as soon as you know them and hear their line, boys are off them like a dirty shirt.

I have talked to boys about girls at school whom I did not know very well and I asked them why boys did not care for them. Various things along the path of which I have been writing is the trouble. Maybe you know these things and maybe you do not. Maybe I have hit the nail on the head and maybe not. Florence you have many good qualities and pray you do not let them be ruined by the source of conversation. Some people also try to push themselves instead of letting themselves be attracted. A magnet never pushes it generally attracts and holds the things it gets. You are probably going to be angry and maybe not. I had this in my system for several days and it must get out. If you are mad, read this again and think to yourself in a very quiet place. But don’t write about this until you have carefully thought things over.

Lots of Love

Fred