20th September 1942 11:00
Hi. This is only a note Sweets, because I am very tired and must get to bed. I only have six hours of sleep as it is. Honey, after I talked to you, I went over to Trinkies and Barbies and they raved about my sweater and then we went over to Bill’s Steakhouse and honestly everyone turned around and downright stared at this sweater. I have never seen one like it in Des Moines before.
Boy, I sure do recall old times now, all the old programs are on and every time I touch the radio, I get a program we used to listen to together. Tonight it was “Mr. Anthony” and others. Honey, how can we stand it? Every phone call makes it worse, yet if I didn’t talk once in a while, I would go crazy. After I left your Mom’s, I cried because I missed you so. I don’t know how I held out until I left but I just couldn’t let them see me break down. I’m sorry Darlin’ but I couldn’t help it. I keep your picture in front of me constantly no matter where I am in the house. I’m sorry but I must go now, will write of real letter tomorrow.
I Love you Harlan
“Your” (and only your) Darlin’ Janie
I miss you terribly and I wish you would come home, but don’t you dare until Christmas.
Mr. Anthony’s program is probably best remembered for its opening line, “Mr. Anthony, I have a problem.” He enthralled 20 million radio listeners each week with his speedy solutions to marital problems, on the “Good Will Hour”. His advice program was on the air from the early 1930’s— it went nationwide in 1935— until 1953.
5 PM September 20, 42
Hi Honey:
Here I am. How are you? I hope I find you both well and happy. Again there isn’t any news. Have you heard from Opal? Don’t write Max on my say so.
The weather is swell now, nice and warm, you know Indian summer. I’m riding with Don Linger now, to and from work I mean. They want me to go to a show with them some night, but I’m not very enthused about the whole thing.
You ask if I would just throw you a kiss if you were here for the night. Well Honey, the way I feel now I would probably crawl right in beside you and refuse to budge.
Harlan remember that trip we took the week before you left, and the truck that pulled that big scraper? Well they’re making a four-lane highway out to the plant and every morning I see about four of those big things being pulled by tractors, clearing the ground and I think of the fun we had and how I read the stories out of the True Story magazine. And the brakes got real hot and stuck and we pulled into that small town and had it fixed. Gee we had fun, remember?
What are you planning on doing Sunday? It’s very important that I know if you are going to be home
Sunday evening, so please reply immediately
My bowling score was 92, 135 and 132. How’s that? We girls were going to go tonight but the alleys are all full of league, so we are going to a show instead. Tomorrow is my day off and I’m going to sleep until noon. Well Sweets, I better close as I have to eat my supper. I miss you terribly and wished you were home.
All my love and xxxxxxxxxx’s “Your” Darlin’ Janie
PS I will write you again tomorrow
Honey, it is now 9:45 and I didn’t go out with the girls because I feel so tired and I rotten from a cold I have. I am sitting here listening to “Kay Kyser” and I was thinking how if times were normal, we would be in Herman now, maybe over to Union Park, listening to Kay, smooching, smoking cigarettes and talking. We would be together, me curled up in your arms, being loved by the boy I love. Oh Honey, I miss you so and downright miss wish you would come home and go back to your $30 a week job because even though we didn’t have all the money in the world, but we had each other. Now we both have money, but we don’t have each other, and I would rather have you than money any day.
I better go before I get to feeling too sorry for ourselves.
“Your” Darlin’ Janie Good Night Honey
September 21st, 1942 Monday 5 PM
Hi Honey:
Well here it is another week, and every week brings me closer to you and Christmas, which makes me happy. Your letter of the 18th was waiting for me when I got home tonight. It sure seems funny to be coming home in the daylight and having the evening. Personally, I wish I was back on the other shift because now when the evening rolls around I will be terribly lonesome and kind of lost. Last night while over to your Mother’s, we sat in the library waiting for you to call and there is a fireplace there and a radio right next to it and I thought if you were here, we would both have been down on the floor listening to the radio and looking at the fire with all the lights out. I don’t know but it seems no matter where I go there is always something or someone to remind me of you. Not that I mind it Honey, but every place I turn we have been there together or did this before or saw that the last time we were together or that place was popular last year when Harlan was home and etc.
But enough of that. I can’t get over how grand your picture is. I love the picture and the boy. Harlan, I miss you so, I can’t keep you out of my mind. I have to tell someone, and I guess it will have to be you because you’re the reason for it all. Sometimes at work I think, if only I can save enough to get out there and see you I will be satisfied, and then I think I will only be a hindrance and a bother to him and I know it is impossible for me to come out and other times I wish you had never gone out there, regardless of all the sightseeing, experiences, good job and money. And Harlan, I want you to reserve the library in your Mom’s house for Christmas, so we can spend lots of time in there. You tell your Mom, will you? O.K? O.K? I know you will be as crazy about that fireplace as I am. It’s just suited for you and me.
I also received a letter from Donna today saying she was going to stay in Chicago for a while as she has a job, a good one, I guess.
Honey, please be careful while you are at work. Do you still like it as well as you did when you started?
Well Sweets, I better close as I’m going downtown with Momie. I have not had a date with the boy and don’t intend to. I will write again tomorrow night.
All my love and xxxxxxxxxx’s “Your” Darlin’ Janie
PS I hope this letter wasn’t too mushy
10:00 AM Sept 23, 1942
With this pin comes my heart also please be careful with it darling. It is not much but it is what it stands for the accounts.
Hello Darlin’:
I am so sorry for not writing last night as I usually do, but I was very tired and disgusted and downhearted. I received one letter yesterday morning and one this morning so I will try to answer both of them. I am glad you like the sweater and picture. Let me know if you get the bracelet fix so you can wear it. I am going to have to miss all the nightly programs we used to listen to. I don’t mind it too much because beings you’re not here to listen to them with me, they won’t sound very good anyway. I hope you like the day shift better than you think you will. I know how I would feel too, to have that the evenings off and no Janie to go over to see. I wish I knew what I know now about six months ago. Don’t you? I saw the fireplace and I have had the same idea as you have for a long time. When we get married, we’re going to have one in our home. That’s a promise. What you say about everything reminding you of me is sort of why I don’t like it out here. We used to do things together and for the first time I feel awful funny doing anything. I always think why can’t Janie be out here with me doing this, she has every right in the world. I shouldn’t or don’t want to or am afraid to do them because I feel I should have you with me. I am glad I feel that that way though because I love you so. I love the quaint little way you tell me you miss me and love me. Don’t ever think you would be a hindrance to me anywhere. If you feel you would like to come out, you let me know any time.
Darling you asked me if I like the work as well as I did when I started. To be perfectly frank, No!!? When I first started, I had a simple job. But now that my welding is getting pretty good (not being conceited but I have a lot of practice and I can tell it’s a lot better than it was when I started) I have been getting some pretty tough jobs. I used to feel that I wasn’t doing as much as I could for my country. Most people don’t quite realize what ship welding is like. Sometimes you get put in a hole that would cramp a fly. Sometimes you get welding where you have to stand on your head or hang by your knees. Lots of times you have to weld by using a mirror because you can’t see what you’re welding. I am not complaining or kicking a bit because I am making good money and am getting the best welding experience in the world. I will say this though, I would like it a lot better if I had you by my side with me. I had my right hand burned again last night. I think some poison got into it and started something like a boil. It is swollen up quite a bit, I am sending some more pictures and my welding pin. I just got it yesterday, we are supposed to get a new one. When I do, I will send it to you.
I love you and miss you more every day
Love and xxxxxxxxxx’s Harlan
Sept 23, 1942 Wed. 11:30
Hello Honey:
I just received your letter telling me of Opal. Harlan, this is the hardest letter I have ever written because there are so many things and people to take into consideration and the most important person is your Mother. You know as well as I do that Opal has been first with her. She loves you very dearly, but your Mom lives for Opal, which is natural to a certain extent, because Opal is the girl, Harlan, Opal is carrying a baby, a life, something every girl looks forward to all her life. I don’t know whether Opal has given it much thought, but she is a girl and must inherit some of those precious female instincts. And she must have good care. Then last, but not least, comes us, because although you may sometimes think I am trying to stall off our wedding date, you know the reason why and I really want it to stay as we are able and if you get involved to deeply in this, it may make the date further away yet. I was both terribly shocked and surprised when I read your letter and have done some considerable thinking before I wrote this.
In my opinion, there is one of two things to do. The plan they have now may work out O.K. That is, if Opal can keep working for a while and save every penny and, if Max does get his commission in January and will come out and take care of her as he should. In the meantime, however, it is Max’s place to see to it, that Opal has enough money so that she can have the proper doctor care. After all Harlan, there is quite a bit about having a baby. But there is a definite draw back to that plan. If they don’t tell their parents now, it will have to be told someday and when it does, if they think they have trouble now, they will think a lot different then. It also costs money to have the baby, put it in a home and then take it out again.
The other one is – Harlan as far as the law goes, you and Max are brothers and I think you should write Max man to man and tell him you know about the baby and it’s his duty as Opal’s husband and as the father of the baby to come out in the clear with everything, quit school and come out. Thus, go to work and support his wife and child. If he is half the man I thought he was, he will do this. But if he feels he doesn’t want to leave school when he is so close to the end then he should tell his folks everything and then they should see to it Opal is taken care of. And I also think Opal should tell her Mom because as you said, it will hurt her now, but it would hurt her a lot more to find out later and to know that then when it all was happening she didn’t know. Honey, Max and Opal have made a mistake and now they must pay for it and if they get away with it now, they will have to pay someday, and it will be a lot worse later. After all, Opal is 19 and Max is 20. They are both old enough to take care of themselves and they are married and that makes things a little better. And about Marilyn and Opal being together, Harlan you all knew about Marilyn before you left home and still Opal ran around with her, so I can’t agree with you on being sorry and afraid for Opal because of Marilyn. Opal has a mind of her own and she knew Marilyn better than any of us.
I feel sorry for Opal Honey, I really do, but it isn’t your place to take care of her. You have your own future to take care of. If she doesn’t want to tell your Mom, then it’s up to you. I know I never will. If you want to send Opal money to come to Frisco for a talk, its O.K. But I wouldn’t tell her that you told me about it or that you may write to Max. Find out what she intends to do, then do what you think is best.
What do you mean, Max will get a commission? What will he be when he is through school? And when? Max’s folks are far more able to take care of Opal than you and Honey please don’t think me to bossy, but I don’t think you’ll ever get and thanks for whatever you do.
I’ve said about all I can say. They are just like lots of other couples. They have made a mistake and its up to them to straighten things out. I’m sorry that it happened but there isn’t much anyone can do about it except Opal and Max. However, please tell me what you plan to do about having Opal up and anything that happens.
Honey, this is the mess we would have been in if you weren’t the most wonderful fellow in the world. I love you Harlan and always will.
“Your” Darlin’ Janie
Harlan this is solely my opinion but its up to you to do what you think is best. Please be careful.
PS You better burn this letter. And if you write Max, you better send it to his school rather than his home.
September 24, 1942 Thursday
Hi Honey:
Well here I am again and hope it will find you well and happy. Aunt Nana is here, and Chuck, Mary Jane, Dick, Rosie and Dickie Jr. are here too. And as they are deeply involved in conversation, I thought now was my chance to write you. I’m sitting in my room at my desk with your picture directly in front of me, and that’s the last thing I see at night before I go to bed and the first thing I see in the morning at, 5:30 at that. Harlan, I miss you terribly tonight, as I always do but tonight is worse because the whole family is here and always before you were among us. Remember we used to sit around for a while, then we would make the excuse that we wanted a coke or that we are that you had to see someone about something and we would leave so as I could have a cigarette and then maybe we would smooch a while and returned just as everyone was leaving. Oh gee Honey, I if only you were here, instead of your picture. Sometimes I think I can’t stand it another day and then I realized that you are probably going to the same thing and it is probably a whole lot worse for you because as you say you know no one out there.
Harlan, please don’t worry yourself too much over Opal. She is a young and healthy girl and I’m sure everything will turn out okay. It usually does for her and just think, you will be an uncle. Oh Honey, why do things like that happen to happen? There isn’t much news, Donna has a job in Chicago thus won’t be home for I don’t know how long. Personally I think it will do her all a lot of good.
I’m sorry my letters are so short, but I have nothing to write about. The folks are all just fine and Honey we have a hard a frost already. This morning when I went to work it was only 28° above zero and it was only 24° out at the plant. That’s really cold for this time of year. Tonight it was 30, a little bit better.
Well Sweets, I better go now. I think of you night and day and miss you more and more and more. I will write you tomorrow.
All my love and xxxxxxxxxx’s “Your” Darlin’ Janie
Be sure to let me know about the ring. I want to send it so bad. I’m sure you will be crazy about it.
September 25, 1942
Hi Honey:
Well Sweets, I didn’t get a letter today or last Monday but please, I hope will get one tomorrow one night?
Well you’ll never guess what it is doing outdoors at this very minute. It’s snowing very hard to. The ground is all white and everything. It’s snowing just like it did last Christmas, remember that storm, you should! Remember, you stayed all night. Well anyway, the snow was coming down just. That night you stayed all night. Remember, after you got all ready for bed and you came in and knocked on the door and Momie was in the room with me and you didn’t know it? So I said I would come in and later I came to your door and threw you a kiss and said good night. Those thoughts and memories are happy ones, aren’t they Honey.
There isn’t much news to speak of. Nana and Mary Jane both asked me to send you their love and best wishes and hope you are getting along okay. I simply can’t get over this snow on 25 September.
I didn’t do much at work today we shut down at noon (our wing I mean not the whole plant) because of the shortage of cases. So I’m not very tired tonight.
After dinner the whole family and Nana are going down and bowl a few games. I will let you know how I do. I doubt if I am very good because I haven’t been for over a month. Have you been lately?
Well Sweets, I better close as the there is nothing more to say. Will write again tomorrow night to my honey whom I am waiting for patiently and faithfully.
All my love and xxxxxxxxxxxxxx’s “Your” Darlin’ Janie
Saturday 10 AM September 26, 1942
Hello Darling:
This is the way your letters came this week. Monday no letter, Tuesday two letters, Wednesday no letter, Thursday one letter, the one with the picture. Friday and Saturday no letter. There will probably be one tonight when I get home. I guess these change in hours have kind of messed things up this week.
My hand is just swell now. The swelling is all gone, and the soreness is just about gone. I didn’t write yesterday because I couldn’t. My hand was bothering me quite a bit. Darlin’ the pictures are absolutely perfect. If I get a few more like these I am liable to pack up and come home. I look at them about 100 times a day. That is a swell looking coat. I have my eye on one, something like it downtown. I’m going to get it as soon as winter comes. I never get tired of how many pictures of you I get in your work clothes. The sweater looks swell on you. I had my arms around it when I bought it, just pretending you were in it. That picture of you in the swing was sure swell. It couldn’t be any better. It is beautiful. I think you are getting more beautiful every day. I was a sucker not to tell you things about yourself that I should have when I was at home. I sure must’ve been a dummy. You just wait till Christmas. You’ll never know me. If you think you were sure of me then, I wonder what you will think when I get home. I don’t think it is a bad thing to be sure of someone, do you? Send me all of the pictures you can. I’m going to get a picture album and put all of yours in front and mine in the back pages. That picture of you in the swinging sure brings back memories. I wish we could start back at the library again and know what we know now. I take that back. It would kill me to have to wait four and half years until we could be married. If you really want to send me our ring, I would be glad to have it. Deep down inside of me I’ve always known what that ring meant but was a little afraid to think too much about it.
Thanks a lot for your answer to what I asked. I think you are very wise about such matters. I have also had a lot of time to think, but all I can think about is you. You are my idea of perfect from every new viewpoint – love, beauty, sincerity, figure, truthfulness and everything that could possibly be in one person. I love you so much. I don’t or rather didn’t think it was even possible for anyone to love another person as much as I love you. That is not so odd but what kind of gets me is that my love for you keeps growing day by day. I can feel it. But to put it short and simply, I love you darlin’ very much.
Love and xxxxxxxxxx’s Harlan
Sept 26, 1942
Hi Honey:
I just got home, had my bath and cleaned up, so now will write my /honey a letter. Gosh, I’m sure sorry about your hand. Now, do what the doctor says and take care of it please. Honey, I hate to hear of you being hurt.
Well Sweets, yesterday I got paid $27.04, how’s that? I wasn’t able to put any in the bank this week however, because today is Chuck’s birthday and Thursday (next) is Daddy’s, so that sort of set me back, and I had to buy safety shoes at $3.95 a pair. But next week $15.00 goes in! I also have $10.00 on a bond.
Gee there isn’t any news and I don’t want to close yet.
Sooo— I just called our Mom back (she called while I was in the tub). She said she had heard from Opal saying you kids had a swell time Sunday. I’m glad. Harlan, I feel so funny now when talking to your Mom, knowing about Opal ad her not knowing. Kind of like I was playing dirty against her. Have you decided what to do about having her up? By the way, you haven’t said anything about my letter concerning Opal. Didn’t you like it or what?
Its terrible cold down here, about 24 degrees above zero. The snow is gone, however. Do you know that this is the first tie in history of the Weather Bureau board that it has ever snowed on the 25th of September? The earliest it has ever snowed before is October 14th. Now isn’t that sompin! We Iowans do it up right!
All the folks send their love and Momie says to take care of that hand.
I better go now. Honey remember, when you are lonesome, I am lonesome too. I love you Harlan.
“Your” Darlin’ Janie
Johnny & Jane 