Barbara Rumsey, at the Boothbay Regional Historical Society, sent me a copy of the letter on this page. Maybe she will tell us a little more about where she got it. I love it!! It is written so much in the voice of the actual person.

The letter is on three sides. To see each of them, just click on the links below. I think they will load pretty quickly. If you want to print them out to read, be sure and set your printer to the highest quality. The letter is actually written on the Squirrel Inn menu, as the young lady says in the first line. You can see the menu by clicking on the Menu link below. Lastly, I have transcribed the letter. Below is my transcription. Let me know if you see any discrepancies!

Squirrel Inn
Squirrel Island, Me.
Aug. 24, 1933

Dear Dot:

What do you think of my fancy writing paper? You see, I’m in the dinning hall, waiting for my people to come in, just using up my spare time.

Two of the waitresses went this morning, Elsie and Phil from Vinalhaven. They have invited me down for a week at Christmas time. Isn’t that swell? Grace White, another waitress is leaving Saturday. She’s going to get married Sept 1 to Norman Douglas. I’m leaving Sat. afternoon, but I’m not going home. Mrs. Lacy, a woman in a cottage, near by, wants me to come down and work for her till Sept. 27. Take care of two children , and wait on tables. It makes you feel awfully funny to see all the kids going home.

– 2 –

I was up to the harbor, Tues. Afternoon with three of the girls. We started for the pharmasy and guess who we saw! Andy and Charlie. Charlie was sitting all alone in the car, at first, so I got in and sat down. I had just had some small pictures taken, Awful good ones, too, and he tore one. Then Andy appeared on the horizon. I didn’t have much to say to him, however, he says that him and Charlie are going to row down some night. I suppose I should be so thrilled.

I met the swellest fellow nite before last. Charles Perkins(?) from Bath. We started on the Balmy Days for Monhegan, last nite, after everybody had advised us not to. We got just a little way from the island and he turned around and came back, it was so rough.

You should have been down here on the top floor of the girl’s dorms last

- 3 -

nite. Everybody had been talking about this storm coming and all the girls gathered in one room and were so scared that they didn’t dare go to sleep. And, ok(?), what a noise we made. Miss Margaret sent someone up six or seven times to quiet us down. The waves came up so high that they reached the boy’s alley, and that’s quite a ways from the shore.

I don’t know when I’ll be home, sometimes after the 27th. I suppose. The inn closes the 8th , so I’ll be all alone down here. Isn’t that terrible?

Well, one fo the bell hops just came in and told me that Mrs Sherman(?) rang for her breakfast, so suppose I’ll have to trudge up three flights of stairs with that heavy tray. Why don’t you come down some time? Write, won’t you?

As ever,

Pat