Letter from Joyce Thielbar to Melvin Thielbar, February 21, 1943

  Dear Melvin,

I don't have much to write. Besides that I am awfully sleepy tonight.

I had a pretty good time at the dance last night. Several of the town kids were there and there was a lot of new ones from over around Norcatur. The hall sure looks different since they changed the stage. They enclosed it all in excepting just a small place for the orchestra to sit and play. You can hear the music much plainer and I imagine it is much warmer for them to play.

Speaking of being warm, it sure has been like summer here for the past week. It will probably come a cold spell again and the we will think it is summer.

Today we went over to uncle Ed's. I spent most of the afternoon listening to the the radio in the car. It sure is clear. Dad had to fix a flat tire today. We picked a nail up in their yard. It is the first one we have had for some time but it probably won't be the last one. Then we went out around by the new Bohemian Hall where the road is "paved with glass" and believe me there is plenty of glass. They haven't had dances there though for 2 or 3 years. We finally ended up in Oberlin. We saw Marion and Marice on the street and so we had to stop and talk to   them. They had just come from playing a concert. Friday the band played for a big dedication in Oberlin. They have a board with all of the boy's names from Decatur county on it. They call it the honor roll. Of course Harold's name is on it. Also Myron's and Merlin's. We didn't stop to look at it very close.

By the way Myron sure sent his folks a swell picture of him. He looks just as natural. They won't let the boys in Camp Carson wear those dress hats anymore. I received a nice letter and a swell picture of Violet last week. You will probably be hearing from her some of these days.

Sylvia and I found out yesterday that our first teacher's exams will be April 10. We are going to review some of Leana's old books for them. Even after we do get in college we'll have to work plenty hard to get in 12 hours.

It sort of looks like the ink bottle is going dry. Oh well maybe I can finish this rig.

Did mother ever write and tell you about Max's "drink" and how it affected him? Friday night Harold and him drank a whole half gallon of pineapple - orange   juice. On top of that they had 3 hamburgers, a candy bar, and heaven knows what else. Consequently on Saturday morning he didn't feel so good.

I just bet Dad a nickel that the mailman would come tomorrow even if it was a legal holiday. Now he better come or I lose a nickel.

You wouldn't be needing a new pair of shoes would you? Myrtle Carman found about half a dozen pairs of shoes in the new house they are going to move in. Come to think of it they would probably be too small - they're only size 12.

Well it is just like it says on the other side. This letter is like a merry-go-round; it never gets any place so I guess I will close. I saw this dippy thing in McCook yesterday and I just had to get it. I wrote on the back - saving paper for national defense you know.

Be sure and not go getting too sweet on those "pretty" Oklahoma gals; Your sis Joyce.

  Danbury, Nebraska Feb. 21, 19443 Dear Melvin:

Well, as I was about to say, I've been hearing

 

a lot about that army of yours, lately.

I ran into a private the other day who shot down two enemy planes. So I asked him if he thought he'd get a COMMISSION for it.

"Heck no," he says, "the army don't give you nuthin' but STRAIGHT SALARY." So then I asked him about his officers and he says there was a major in his outfit who was a WEST POINTER - "looked more like an IRISH SETTER, tho," he says

By the way, do you know anything about the rookie who got half way thru his basic training and decided that made him a HALF - SOLDIER? He figured

that even that was better than what he used to be --- a
WHOLESALER!

I guess fellows from all kinds of occupations are in the army now, tho -

 

like the soldier they were court - martialing for desertion in the midst of battle. Things looked

pretty black for him until he explained that he used to be a PLUMBER and he was only going back for his bayonet. It didn't go so good for another one who was beating a quick retreat, tho. The ony explanation he had was that his father and grandfather had both been in the army too, so soldiers just naturally seemed to RUN in his family.

I read a swell article in the paper about a Jap gun crew. When an American bomb landed alongside their field piece they had to do something to stop their teeth chattering -- so they kept up a

RUNNING CONVERSATION!

I hear you get darned good food in the army these days

A Sergeant told a friend of mine recently that when they got STEAK for mess it wasn't half as TOUGH as when they had to pay TWO FIFTY in a swank hotel. He also mentioned that he'd never run across a sweeter dish in civilian life than one they had at his camp -- the GENERAL'S BLONDE DAUGHTER.

Incidentally,

 

have you heard about the rookie with CORNS?

He probably was the same guy who asked the instructor if the bullet would go farther if the pulled the TRIGGER HARDER.

Well, like a MERRY-GO-ROUND, this letter just seems to KEEP GOING WITHOUT GETTING ANYWHERE.

Maybe I'd better give it the WRIST WATCH TREATMENT and WIND IT UP SO-O lots of luck to you, Soldier, and when you have a chance why not pretend you're a BIG GAME HUNTER and DROP A LION?

  So long! Joyce

P.S. Don't forget to do a COLUMN "WRITE" for me!

If you can "decode" the writing, I wrote a letter on the back. Let it never be said that I didn't send you a long letter. Even though half of it was written when I bought it.