After Nine Week Trip To St. Louis, D.R. Wagner Was Anxious To Get Home

Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell

It’s a Wagner Week! Here are two 1904 letters. D.R. is writing on Yocona Mills stationary that’s printed to be from Pennsylvania. I didn’t know they had an official office there. The second letter is from little Dudley. He’s introduced a new character: Charlie! Who was he? I hope he did well farming and I wish I knew more about him rather than a mention on the day he quit working for the Wagners. I also want a lobster full of candy.

Office of Yocona Mills
Water Valley, Miss
Manufacturers of White, Variegated and Colored Wrapping Twine, Carpet Wart and Skein Yarn

Elizabethville, Pa
Aug 3rd, 1904
Dear George
Your letter to hand (no date.) Why don’t you date your letters and when they are from? It’s a mighty bad habit to have, not to know what day of the month it is. You wrote me some time since that you had sent to John for money to come home on and the way you write now leaves me uncertain about it. Let me know by return mail if you have the money or not and if you have not let me know how much it will take to do yours. You will want to buy a round trip ticket that you can use coming back and if I were you I would only spend a day or two in St Louis coming home and then spend sometimes there on your return to school. You can buy a ticket in St Louis home very cheap.
I will leave home next Monday at 7:35 A.M. and go home via Washington and Chattanooga. Jessie will leave some time and go to Buffalo to visit Elsie Stern and stay a week and then go to Pittsburgh and stay with Miss Gibson for 2 or 3 weeks.
I am sorry that I can’t go with you via St. Louis. I am anxious to get home now, I have been up here 9 weeks and am tired of it. We have letters from home, all are well.
Write about visit and I can answer before I leave for home. We all send love to you.
Affectionatly Your Father, D.R. Wagner

Dear George,
I received the colors and am very very much obliged. Papa John went to Chicago last Sunday to get goods and Will went to St Louis. They both came back this morning.
How are you getting along? While in Chicago Papa John sent me a big green frog full of candy and Jess a lobster full of candy and Mabry a fish full of candy and I don’t know what he sent Mamma. The colors were just right and I think it was very nice of you to send them.
It’s spring down here. The grass and trees and rosebushes are all green and the days are just like Spring too.
Charlie has quit working for us and has gone to farming. We sure did hate to loose him.
Everybody is well and all send love. Is it still cold up in Ithaca? Just think it won’t be but two months and a half before our school turns out. We didn’t have but one week at Christmas so we are going to get out the twenty seventh of May.
If you don’t work up in New York or somewhere this summer I am going to Memphis a lot and will want you to come up and see Jim and I. We will have lots of fun together going to the baseball games and running around .
Well, I must close for this time.
Dudley