July 23, 1944

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Sun. Morn.

Dear Bill and Wilma

I guess you are beginning to think I am never going to write and I don’t have much of an excuse for not writing. I write to Aline most every day though and by then I have something to do and don’t get to it.

I will try to do a little better after this though because I really enjoy your letters.

I guess you have really been busy this summer with all the mumps and staying with Mom and everything. I sure hope Mom gets alright now. I sent her fifty dollars to help pay the doctor bills and so forth. I thought maybe they might be a little short and money don’t mean much over here. We don’t have much we can buy.

Aline and I have a nice little bank account started now too. I’ve been sending about a hundred a month to her. We play a little penny ante poker to pass the time away and I got ahead in that and got in a big game one night and won a little over four hundred dollars and that helped some too.

I figured I had all my luck at one time so I just play pinochle for fun now instead of giving the boys a chance to get it back. Don’t say anything to Mom or Aline about that though. They don’t understand those things very well. You know how Mom is about that. Well, Aline is just like her. I think thats the reason Mom likes her so well. She won’t hardly let me drink a bottle of beer even. I like her all the more for it though and I can usually talk her out of a couple bottles once in a while.

I think she is going home in Sept. and I told her to stop in K.C. and see you on her way home. I sure hope she does.

I had another letter from Ruth yesterday. I seldom ever hear from Claude so she writes for him once in a while.

Did you see her while she was home? She seems to be pretty nice but I think you will like Aline better. “I hope”.

Nothing much is happening here right now. It’s pretty dull and I am certainly ready to be on my way back but I don’t think I will be for a while.

Write every chance you get.

Love,
Elmer