29 October 1918

Fairfield, Ia
Oct. 29, 1918

My dear Maggie,

I would have written you long ago had I known I owed you a letter. I left my list over at Winfield and we have had vacation for two weeks and a half because of the flu. If I'm getting my pay it will be fine and dandy but if not the Garts will have to go with few clothes this winter. Winfield is a town of 1,500 about 40 miles from here, a very nice school, Etc, but I can't say much in favor of the teaching profession. Keeping house is better from every point of view. I have two classes in English, two and Physiology, and one in HEC [Home Ec?] and only draw $90. I guess that's more than I deserve since I’ve had no experience.

Maury [sic] is in the Officers Training Camp at Ft. Monroe. He got in about 4 weeks ago. He is in heavy artillery and claims the math is most too much for his little head. The second week of school he had a 14 day furlough, because of an operation for hernia (if you don't know what that is I advise looking it up.) I got a substitute and we went to Chicago for a time. We had one wonderful time and I sure hated to let him go back to camp.

Brother P.D. is in the Student Army Corps at Ames. He likes it all right but they have had a terrible time with the flu. A few more years and all the eleven Lamsons will have had their education at Ames. P.D. said the other night he was on guard and a green fellow came up. P.D. told him to halt & be recognized and be recognized. The boys said, “You wouldn't recognize me if I did. I just came yesterday.” I guess there are as many fools at Ames as there always were.

I had the married Pi Phi letter the other day. I suppose you know Madge has another baby & they have moved to Chicago. Phil is home with her folks. Just between you and me, I heard Phil did rotten work at Boone & was nearly kicked out. She wasn't liked at all. That was news to me cause I thought she did so well. I know I won't make any great success of teaching but it doesn't worry me much.

After I had my job at Winfield I had a chance to teach in the little college at Pella, Ia at $100 per. I didn't feel like resigning so told Ruth Clark White about it so she is teaching there. Her husband is in France. He went 4 weeks after they were married. [Central College Calendar 1920-21 mentions Ruth - https://archive.org/stream/catalogue2021cent/catalogue2021cent_djvu.txt ]

Kae is still sticking around home pegging away at her business course but I fear she and Ellis have lost all their pep as stenogs so will probably never get jobs. Our big sister, Feed is at Washington on a gov’t job. F. is working with the Register & Leader now instead of Jonkers. But she can't be at out of a job she must at least have a change.

I hope you enjoy the Lamson history and write soon asking for more.

Lots of love, Bid. [Bertha Lamson Gart/Garst, a Bertha Lamson was a Pi Beta Phi sorority sister of Leone McGee per The Bomb yearbook, 1915 - http://cdm16001.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15031coll5/id/47008/show/46518 , see also The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, Volume 38, Issue 3 - ]

P.S. Our old friend Howard Eales has ? the Croix de guerre. http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/aviation-history/lt-howard-carl-eales-grouping-pilot-observer-ww-i-french-escadrille-120-us-91st-aero-squadron-9993/