A Letter Written on Oct 19, 1918

Saturday Evening -

Dearest Bubkins,

This past week has been one continuous string of things after another for me and I suppose it has for you too. My reading has piled up so that instead of going to our first formal dance and play last evening and this afternoon respectively I went to the "lib" and boned. Pretty good for me, don't you think? Really, I'm taking my college course seriously this year and then out on the cold, cold world next year br-r-r. Makes me shiver! I'm going to try and get some government position either under the Red Cross or governmental factory work if possible. If this is not possible, then I'll try and prepare here for reconstruction work. All these "would-be" jobs are really social work and involve a good deal of case work so you see I'll be getting what I've been driving after for a long time. We are having a course on Industrial Management offered up here at the college this year outside the regular course. After taking this course we are fitted for assistants to factory managers where women are working in factories. For example in munition factories, textile factories etc. A position is almost guaranteed, too, when one takes the course. In fact, it is 'understood['] that any student who takes said instruction must be willing to accept this kind of position after graduation. As yet, I haven't gotten permission to take the course, but if my name is not accepted here I'm going to sign up under the Red Cross. I have to laugh at my crossing my bridges before I get there, though, for it is quite essential that my A.B. is secured first! Isn't that just like me, though dear, getting all puffed up over what may happen and yet may never happen??

The faculty up here, dearest, got softening of the arteries or something equally as fatal for without any warning whatsoever they gave us an extra holiday. Wasn't that just shwell? [sic] Six of us plus a chaperon hired a dandy twi-six Packard and drove over the Mohawk trail. We left at about nine-thirty and got back at college that night about five-thirty. Hm? We had the times of our lives, and such gorgeous scenery, Bub dear. I don't know when I have seen its equal. The trees had all turned wonderful, maroons, yellows, brown, and green and as we wound in and about the beautiful mountains with the winding streams at their base I couldn't but help wish you were along with me. I've wished that more than once, though, dearest.

Today I received a letter from George Thomas or rather a scratch on only a small bit of paper saying that he had returned for the fifth time from the trenches and was going back once again. If he comes out O.K. again he is going to a school back of the lines for six weeks where he will get his commission as a first Lieutenant. Won't that be great - he certainly deserves it.

Well, dearest boy, how are you coming along down in the big city? Having a pretty good time or are they working you pretty hard? I was thinking the other night that if you commute from M.H. to N.Y. why with your work in the city you sure do not get much time for study outside the wee small hours, do you?

Well, Bub dearest, I must quit now and say good night for it is after twelve and that is quite late for a convent, you know -

All my love and kisses, dearest Boy -

Yours as ever,
Fran.