Oshkosh, Wis.
My dearest Mabel:
I have eagerly awaited a letter from you while at Milwaukee, but none came. So after I got up this morning & turned in my key to the room clerk I was handed your letter & was so tickled to receive it until the time I came upon the point where you mentioned going to a fortune teller. I was so very downhearted & disappointed in you & also in your mother. All the while I thought & believed you to be really & truly very God fearing & a firm believer in Him our almighty, allknowing God. And then you turn for advice to an agent of the very devil – a disrespectable creature who always crawls so to speak on its belly – doing & saying things behind hushed & closed doors. My darling don’t get me wrong I’m not criticizing you but you have really lowered yourself in the eyes of God. Furthermore, my dear heart all evil is done & contemplated in darkness just exactly like the witch who has thrown such a dark, dark shadow over my entire happiness & love for life. Listen my darling, you know that God instituted the holy bond of matrimony no doubt you have already paid close attention at a wedding ceremony – (the point “to take one another as man & wife for better or for worse?) That is the sweet mystery of life. Trust in God always my darling He does not fail or disappoint no one. Troubles are God’s test of us to test our faith. Why don’t you? I am reminded of the incident cited in the Bible where Christ & His disciples met on the water. The disciples had ventured out to sea when of a sudden Christ appeared in person to again unite Himself with them – so Peter ventured forth walking on the water when suddenly he lost faith in God & cried to Jesus for help whereupon Christ remonstrated Peter “Peter, Peter, you small believer” that’s just what you have done to the very letter.
Tell your mother for me – her constant union with the devil himself accounts for her “nervousness” tell her also for me that she should cast away the fearful doubts (which through a fortune teller’s devilish influence is permeating her mind with all kinds of hallucinations & fears, which she would not encounter had she God in her heart & head & lips instead of unreal bad & selfish thoughts.
By her foolish divided belief she has veritably wrecked her own life & trying to wreck two more. Yours my darling & mine. Why go to Church & pray on one hand & immediately on the other seek advice from that cursed snake of a fortune teller. Certainly, maybe it’s true that your mother might have been “cold” as you tell me were it not for the minister’s timely arrival at your house. No doubt evil & sordid imaginations crept up & seized the upper hand but God again conquered – a disciple of God stepped in and intervened if the minister knew the facts he would have said unto the evil spirit “Depart Satan.” No true Christian can divide or have both faith in God and on the hand doubt him by seeking a fortune tellers poisonous lies.
Maybe you too have been poisoned in your heart against me after drinking in & swallowing the devilish harpoon of a damned snake – lurking about constantly to devour a wavering believer in God the Almighty.
So disappointment – a very big disappointment is your reward for your trust & faith in me – if you still are game enough to fare the music of life, laughter & disappointment with me. Truly my darling life contains a better cup which I though still young in years have so often taken a sip of. I’ve had a great big share of disappointments in life & have just tasted another one – you know which one I refer to now. I am sorry. But it seems my lot to get them right along – in love & life & all it’s endeavors. I don’t know just why such a very big disappointment should await you – for that sooner I’ll turn to God.
Be a downtrodden day ever so deeply depressed he shall some any emerge because everybody & every dog has his day. Mine too is at hand.
I’ll now stand cross examination before you & if you chance let your mother help you by consulting another fortune teller to verify to you, thru my history of life. I hope you my darling will see right & may God give you the right sense of judgement. I’ll now relate my life’s history and if you should have to cut me aside then please do me the honor of telling me so & I’ll never again venture across your path.
I am 27 years old born August 14th 1901 at Milwaukee to be exact number 1109 – 20th St. I’ve [been] raised & trained by my parents to do right with all mankind which I have so hard tried to follow & can look anybody square in the eye & drill through them. Wherever I’ve been – worked & associated with people I can always go back be assured of a healthy welcome.
My life’s experience in the game of hearts is the same as George Washington – he too loved the opposite sex too deeply & dearly for which his rewards were of the my atruis[?] kind.
I never have been married & if fate[?] tricks me on more, I’ll catch the hint & continue my life in single blessedness.
The first girl I loved & she loved me & told me so on her deathbed I too loved with all my heart & soul like she had sworn to me. God bless her & [?] he love & mine too till we meet again because our love to each other was from heart & souls & they don’t die. As life goes on for me often I’ve longed to be with her in his heavenly slumber. But she told me that if she should die I should seek another pal of heart & soul & she’ll stand guard to ward off all intrusion.
So later I met another girl whom I became engaged to but she as I found out in time was not my companion – I told her so and that closed this incident.
Later on I met another girl a very sweet & lovable girl whom though still alive is virtually dieing by inches from the White Plague. She told me to stay away because she saw her doom & did not want to ruin my life by hold me down on account of the incurable drain of Tuberculosis.
You are not the only one who had broke up with your “lover” I too did that for you – I was still in great hopes for her until I met you. I told you I loved you & still do.
I’ve had a great deal of financial reverses which I would have told you all about later on but since the “issue” is brought to point I’ll get that off my chest right now.
I’ve already told you something about the business my dad, brother & I had established – I told you we lost a tremendous amount of money in the adoption of Lacquer – that is a partnership & we are suffering a deficit which we must bring out of our backs – by some labor – I am responsible to wire the Creditors for my share & I’m paying them off as time goes by. God grant us health & strength & we’ll again emerge debt free & that won’t be long.
That’s all my life’s highlights now please judge, deliberate slowly but thoroughly, I’ve made you no elaborate funny promises but my fare is honest my heart is in the right place & I have great ambition & persistence & I’ll conquer very easily with a partner in life who is true, sympathetic & inspiring as I told you I thought you are.
Now my darling that’s all my heart’s weight & if you should care to still go on with me & trust & love me I’ll come to you with open arms.
Yours with love,
Wallie
xxxx
Oshkosh B’Gosh
3/18/29 ~ 11:30 P.M.
My dearest darling Mabel:
About three hours ago I mailed you a letter. One thing I do know I intended the letter for you but I could not prove it by myself that I addressed the envelope to you.
My darling in the event that you did receive that letter do not take it too harshly what I mean is do not let your feelings toward me turn cold. Please pick out those parts which you think “hit the bad[?]” I could not afford to lose your love, my darling Sweetheart, because I love you so very much. But honestly for the whole day I “wore a peave” – I had such a big chance to do so as I didn’t have anything to occupy my mind with. I told you the honest truth about myself – did that “cool” your affection toward me? I pray to God that it didn’t. I need you my darling, oh so much. I told you once before dear heart just how I tell people what I think of them when they need it and I didn’t make any exceptions in your case.
Won’t you please give me a few more details about that fortune teller “black balling” I received? Did you try and put 2 and 2 together? I mean which fortune teller did you go to see?
I honestly do hope that you don’t make a habit of consulting such rat. I wonder if you went to see the fortune teller recommended by your mother. If so what prevented your mother from prearranging all her B.S. to you? That would be playing right in her hand – your mother’s. Honest my darling I must tell you this much, (I pray to God that you & I may someday be married) so therefor I’m not marrying your mother & father, so here goes I’ll treat them good & honorably but deep down in my heart I don’t give 2 snaps of my finger for either of them. They are doing you & me a great injustice. Especially you my darling & I can’t stand anybody who hurts you as they are doing day in and day out.
The other night I dreamed of you. That you told me you didn’t care for me at all. Will you please tell me & convince me that it was only a dream? I am so very much in love with you, honestly don’t laugh at me for telling you this but ever since I left you I don’t hardly sleep nights I’m thinking of you constantly.
I just simply can’t get over your letter of 3/16. Especially the constant pegging which you are getting. If you should decide to come to Milwaukee, by heaven I’ll swear that you’ll be in better company I think, then you are now. Yes, my darling tell her that you intended staying at Quade’s. I just can smell the “stink” that they’ll stir up about that. But then refer them to that “poem picture” in your dining room, the picture hanging above the book case. At my home there is peace & quiet. I promise my darling (I hope I still can call you that) that I’ll drive you home as often as you may wish to go there.
My darling sweetheart I’m so upset and will be until I hear further from you that I know you’ll think this letter to be terrible but forgive me. Please send your reply special delivery. I’ll send this one the same way.
With all my heart, I am your Sweetheart,
Wallie x x x x x x x
X
With a Carload of Love... 