<-- back to index Portland Oreg. Sept 23, 1937 Dearest Elsie - Well Darling I'm still alone. Do you remember when before I left, I told you that I expected to send for you in about 6 weeks or 2 months? Well, it was on the 15th of June when I left, which was 3 months, 1 week and 1 day ago; And I still have not sent you that money. But if it had not been for Vernon's deal, why we could have stayed at Westwood Calif. and made plenty good money, but when we found out that Mrs. Ware, who had just arrived at Westwood from Bemidji the week before we did, was going to write Dorothy and tell her of our whereabouts, why then I just simply made up my mind that we may as well hit for Portland. When we started out for Portland from Westwood, we only had $32.00 left to our names, and we still had about 700 miles to drive, and thru a very rugged part of the mountains at that. But we made it & we still had $13.50 left when we got to Portland. And then on top of it all, on the second day after we got to this city, I broke the axle in my car which cost me 9.50. By the time we had bought groceries for the three of us, Vernon, I, and the baby, while we were camping on the Columbia River, we became broke. But I then landed work in the hayfields on that dairy farm and then we moved to Uncle Vern's. It must have been somewheres around the last of June when we moved to Vern's. We stayed there for approximately 10 weeks which would bring our board & room to $150.00 for the time that we stayed there. We now owe them $50.00, which means that I have paid them in cold cash $100. Besides that I spent approximately $25.00 for gasoline, $8.00 for cigarettes for the two of us, and about $10.00 for clothes & miscellaneous. That's a total of $143.00 that I managed to make and spend before I moved from Vern's. Now, Vernon is on that berry ranch and I have a steady job only two blocks from my room, but this month it has so far cost me as follows.
pymt to Union 5.00
My Expenses for Vernon 15.00
A new billfold 1.25
meals 15.00
Room rent 4.50
Laundry 3.00
clothes 3.00
camera 1.75
Films & Development 3.00
miscellaneous 1.50
_____
A Total of - $53.00
My income for these last 3 weeks was 54.00. I now have $1.00 in my pocket. Out of the check that I receive next Sat nite I will have to pay the Union $15.00 which will be the balance of my initiation fee. A week from Sat nite I will have to pay the store $11.50 for a grocery bill that Uncle Vern charged against me for which he is extending me credit on the $50.00 which Vernon & I owe him. But I have refused to be responsible for any more of Uncle Vern's bills. I am not going to pay any more to Uncle Vern until I have sent that money to you. After the next two Saturdays I am planning on sending $10.00 each pay day to you until you have enough to pay your way out here.
I am with Love
Your Honey
Irvin.
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