Letter from Ida to Anna V. Blough, Nov. 24, 1917

              Waterloo, Iowa
Nov. 24 1917
From Ida

My Dear Anna,
This is your Christmas letter, and if it makes good time it should reach you in  time to bring my Christmas wishes to you. How we are scattered. And yet it will be but a few more Christmases until we can plan on being together, unless this awful war should make a difference. Well, the wheels continue to turn out their regular grind of duties, and sometimes I can hardly wait until I am free from the work here, and again I am in it for all it is worth until time to leave. I don�t know what I told you about our plans so I�ll run the chances of repeating but I think that we will both resign our places about March first and become the proprietors of Ash Grove Farm. Since I sent you that sample of goods I have not looked at a store very hard, for it isn�t good to combine shopping and missionary work too much. I have been planning on sewing Thanksgiving day, but now I am to help serve the wedding dinner for Ada Sell, and that will take a slice out of the day. She has been going with Sydney Huffman this fall and we were all amazed to find out that she is to be married so soon, but I knew that they are about the happiest looking couple I ever saw, so I am sure thag [sic] it will be alright to them and should be to the rest of us. Maybe mother will take a trip to Kansas, that is, if we can get her off. You know how hard it is for her to get away from her work, and even though she wants to go, she is hunting for an excuse that will make her stay home. 

Today the Intermediat [sic] girls met and decided that for their Christmas giving they would make candy for the missionaries that they know, so you will be getting a box from them, and so will Eliza Miller and Martha Shick. If you want to write them a letter, address it to Miss Ruth Dowdle, 1001W11th St. Waterloo, Ia. She is president of the class. They thought that would be the nicest thing they could think of to do. During the meeting, someone suggested that we better make the candy this afternoon and Mrs Huffman said we should go ahead and so the girls went to the store and bought things and we had the dandiest candy party you ever heard of. I am going to mail it on Monday morning. I am so glad they wanted to do so, for this year I thought I couldn�t do it when I had sent the travelling case. 

This coming week the S.S. is to select teachers for the coming year. That is always a time that I dread, instead of look forward to, for there are some touchy problems that can come up in connection with it. You know Zimmermans are living at Waterloo since early spring, and they do not have their letters here, but are bery [sic] popular in the work and when they do not seem to be in harmony with the present administration it is about like having a democratic judge of the court and a Republican president to make the laws that the judge judges. It surely makes our way hard, for some of us don�t know which way is right and which is wrong. I do hope that all difficulties may be settled before long and I think they will.

Now I am going to tell you a secret, and it is just because I am sure that you can�t give it away, that I am telling  you now, but it is this, that about the time that this letter reaches you, Mary Speicher will be no more, but Mary Schull will have come into the catalogue of names. Her wedding will be about the holiday season some time. Lula Fike was married last Sunday evening at her home. His name is Collin Hartzell and he is from Franklyn Grove, Ill. He just dropped in here about two years ago, and worked for Warren that winter and then went to Bechtelheimers and has been there ever since. Lula used to work there too and that is how they became acquainted. He went to Mt. Morris when I did the last year. He is a fine fellow and a good church worker. They are going to run Milt Kilmmels farm [text above: Sheldon Ia]for a year while he goes to Bethany. I am so glad that Kimmel is going to work at his preparation for preaching, for he seems to have the making in him of a good worker. I am expecting to hear of Iva Hoffs marriage sometime this winter and Charley Grady goes with Fred Millers sister and everything points toward that culminating this spring. I don�t know if there are any others or not. Will let you know as events occur.

Anna, do you wear your watch on your wrist? I get a little crocheted business to hold mine in place lately and it is real cute. It is crotcheted [sic] onto a brass ring that makes the opening for the face and everyone thinks it is so cute. So many folks wear their watches that way and I like it very much since I am used to it.

I don�t seem to have much more to write this evening and I guess it is because I am tired, so I will wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. 

Your loving sister,
Ida.