Helen Balusik: April 2, 1928 Evanston, Ill.

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a good week. Mine was good. I'm involved with the Medford Area Community Theater. I'm in charge of the back stage. I'm not a singer so I'm usually back stage. The play we are doing is "Spamalot". It is a must see thing to do. The performance dates are July 7, 8 & 9th of July. So if you happen to find yourself in the area, you should come check us out.

Anyway, Here is the next letter from Helen:

As always, for those that find it hard to read here is what it says:

                            Apr. 2-28
Dear Howard:
  Your very welcome letter
was received also I thank
you for the pictures you
send me they are very good.
I will enclose the one you
want back.
  Today looks so much
like rain but I hope it
doesn't rain tomorrow for
that's my day off.
Yesterday being Sunday
I went to church at nite
to Chicago. They had such
a wonderful singing there
wished you could have
heard them. Also a girl

about five years old sang a
couple solo's for the audience.
Say Howard, I just want to
ask you this, I have a very nice
girl friend she is also working
here- She is about twenty-seven
years old quite tall and she
wondered if your brother
wouldn't like to correspond
with her. It is only up to him,
of course, but perhaps he don't
care about girls, does he?
So many people around here
are sick with mumps and
the different contagious diseases.
One of my girl friends just
got through with the mumps
Saturday she didn't work for
a week. Seems to me every
time my throat is a little
sore I think I'm getting them (Ha Ha)
Maybe I will be fooled some
time.
I could laugh here in
the city the women they love to
go out and take walks
with the dogs. I often think
if they had to work on the
farm for a change like
some of us poor kids do eh?
The trees are all budding
here and the grass is almost
green, sure looks lovely in the

spring especially about next
month.
It won't be long and you will
be going fishing and canoeing
won't you? My I really do
love to go fishing I don't think
there is any other sport I like
better. I have to laugh when
I hear my father say the first
time he went fishing he
caught a frog-(Ha Ha) Some
fisherman I'll tell the world.
What are the latest songs
around there?
Well I must say goodbye
          and be good.
"write       "Happy Easter
soon           to you Howard"
                  Sincerely Helen

First let me show you the picture he sent her that she sent back.

Grandpa is the one with the x above him. Not sure who the neighbors are.
I wonder what kind of songs the little 5 year old sang. To bad she didn't say.
As for the girl she knew that maybe wanted to write to Grandpa's brother Thomas. I think she would have been a little to tall for him. He was on the short side.
I wonder if she ever got the mumps.
She's right about laughing at the city women that walk their dogs. What else could they do? If they worked on a farm they would be to busy doing other chores to walk a dog. It applies to people today, also.
As for fishing. I wish I could go fishing sometimes. It's hard for me to fish with my husband because he has no patience to sit still very long. I could say in one place for a long time, even if I don't catch anything. It's the quiet time. Very relaxing for me.
I hope Grandpa had a Happy Easter

here are the next two viewer card from the courtship and marriage set:

 21. The Father's Congratulations.

22. The Wedding Breakfast.

Her father finally welcomes the groom into the family.
This must have been an early morning wedding if they had a breakfast and not a dinner.
Notice the little girl in the front behind the fern.

Well that's about all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Edna: March 13, 1927 Chicago, Ill

Dear friends,
How are you? I'm good. It's hard to believe it's the beginning of Feb. already. My weekend was good. No drama for me.
Here is the next letter from Edna aka Eddie. She signed this one Eddie.

I scanned the first two pages the best I could. She used a large piece of paper that was a little bigger making it hard to scan. here is what it says:

                               Chicago, Ill
                               March 13th, 27
Dear Old Friend Howard,
   Just received your letter. It sure
put a kick in me. I appreciate it
so much. I do think of everybody
up home so often. But I sure
am having a swell time. One
thing after another. I'm sorry I
could not have been at
the party. I'm sure I would have
enjoyed it. Hope you had a good
time. As for me, we went to a
show, a group of fellows & girls.
Then we came home and had
a party. We played piano & sang
& danced. Sure had a good time.
The old people join in also.
  Oh, yes Howard I am working
everyday. I like my work so
well. I have charge of eight girls.
Which keeps me quite busy. During
the summer we will have
more.
   Gladys is nursing. She is on
a case on the west side. I was
out to see her yesterday. The people
are Jewish, but some of the finest
people I have ever met. So nation-
ality does not count. (Swed's) also, eh?

They have been married eight years.
They have two of the sweetest children
I have ever seen, and he& her are just
like sweethearts yet. They sure do
love one another. He is the kind of
a man that you seldom find,
now days. They asked me to stay
for dinner. We sure had a feed.
"Chop-suey". and all sorts of things.
They are having a beautiful home
built out in the suburbs some
place, right by the lake. Gladys & I
are invited out there to spend a
week when they get it completed.
Pretty nice, I must say.
  I'm afraid next year, Howard,
you might get too many proposals.
  never mind the book "Robin", Return
it whenever convenient for you.
  Yes. I heard about Elmer Soderbeck.
I think it's a crime. "Cradle Snatchers"
That's a new picture here. The women
snatch the men. Ha! Ha!
  Well, a friend of mine just called
He just got in from St. Louis.
  Do I know any more jokes. Well I
should say. But do not take the
risk of writing them. Will tell you maybe
when I see you sometime. If I was
there, would you take me for a
ride in the car?
  No, I have not seen Walter Walin
recently.

I do not know if I will
be home this summer or not
I do not think so. Gladys won't
go & I don't want her to go
alone on her vacation. Do not
know yet if or when we will
se spend our vacation yet.
  Mr. Peters has a radio &
if I write silly you know
my mind is on the music.
 I am expecting a telephone
call soon, so must make
it snappy.
  How is your mother,
Howard I think of her so
much. Give her our best
regards, Please. I hope she
is better.
Saw Julia not so long
ago. Around the time I had
the mumps. Just think. it was
(along the side)
PS My add is still
906 Dakin St.&
expect it will
continue so for
some time

My birthday & I had company
from out of town & we were
going to go to dances & parties
& movies & have a week of
enjoyment. And then I had
to get the Mumps. Oh, how
they teased me. They said
they thought I ought to
grow up sometime, cause I
had a birthday. I got some
more silver from Gladys
a very nice book by Oscar
Wilde. The most beautiful
flowers for my birthday &
again while I was ill
And beautiful wrist watch
& many gla (bunch( other things. They
sure were (errors will happen darn radio) good to me
Well, Howard, don't forget
me & write again sometime.
I like to get your letters.
Maybe sometime we can
go for a buggy ride, eh?
             Always Eddie.

Where to start. How about the movie "Cradle Snatchers"

It's an interesting story. Three women think their husbands are stepping out on them so they want to teach them a lesson. The women find three collage guys to show them around town.
According to one thing I found about this picture was in the movie the men lie to their wives and go duck hunting and the women think they are fooling around.
This was remade in 1941 as a stage play called, "Lets face it". A few things were changed for the time but it was about the same.

I wonder what books she enjoyed by Oscar Wilde. He was born Oct. 16, 1854 and died Nov. 30, 1900.

This was his most famous novel.

It's to bad she couldn't enjoy her birthday. Having the mumps is the worst gift anyone can get on their birthday. But at least she did get other good things.

I wonder what kind of jokes she wanted to tell that couldn't be written down.

Anyway here are a few random pictures for you to look at.

Do idea what this get together about.

Another get together of some sort. This is actually two pictures. I wonder if it is one of the pictures Grandpa developed.

 Not sure who these people are. The one on the left kind of looks like Grandpa but I'm not sure.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back again for more Faded History.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy