The Big Day has come

No date has been provided on the letter. The referenced wedding, as my third cousin has pointed out, isn't until late June. As I write this, though, we might be in April - as perhaps he is planning his May trip home with the train schedule to Albany and the lilacs are just budding.

I had assumed that Herb was living with his cousin Charles, but that may not be the case, as he doesn't know where Charles' new apartment is. I guess I made the assumption about the living arrangements because it seemed that Charles' move precipitated Herb's move to the rooming house in Brooklyn.

No mention of Karolyn; on the 1923 marriage certificate with Florence, Herb is living at Sterling Place, so he must return there after the war. Hmmmm, now I wonder if one of his fraternity brothers introduced my grandparents. But, then again, why would I assume that those four, Phike Morris, Kimber and Zilleson would be living together again after the war. We don't know what happens to them, do we? Joining the aviation corp may have more dangerous than the Ambulance Corps. It does beg the question, though, doesn't it, who Herb might have been rooming with after the war - and for such a long time, as we know he was discharged in May 1919. I don't suppose I shall ever know how Florence and Herb meet.

From this document we see that Herb, presumably, distinguished himself in some way because he gets a promotion to Corporal in December 1918. We see that that distinction was not for anything involving wounds suffered.... Oh, cat's out of the bag as to when he goes over seas.... not until January 1918. I suggest you pretend to forget that as you read the letters, though....


Sunday

Dear Mother,

Well, the big day has come. Charlie has taken a room down somewhere on 139th Street, near Grace. He bought a new trunk so as to have it to go away with and yesterday he packed it up and sent it down. Yesterday afternoon I went over to Brooklyn and made arrangements to go over and stay with the boys so my address after Tuesday will be 193 Sterling Place, Brooklyn. It’s really going to be fine over there, I think. There will be four of us. Phike Morris and Kimber, of course, are Phi Delts so I know them well and the fourth chap (counting myself) is a chap about twenty three by the name of Zilleson, a very nice boy. I’ve met him several times when I’ve been over there and I like him very much. There are two great big rooms, one of them bigger than our parlor home and the other as big as the parlor and back parlor put together. In between is a little passage like with the two washbowls with running water. There is also a big bathroom on the floor. The family has all its rooms down stairs so that the whole floor belongs to us boys. I’m sure I’ll like it because I’ve sampled the meals and they’re fine. And it’s $8.00 a week. I haven’t moved yet but I’m getting my things together today and I hope to be all transferred by Tuesday.

The only thing I’ll miss is Charley. He certainly has been wonderfully good to me. We’ll manage though to be together at lunch a couple of times a week and an occasional evening, and then again with the girls once in a while at either Jane’s or Grace’s for a game of cards or a trip to the movies or something.

The weather today really looks encouraging. I hope Spring has really arrived and I guess it has because the lilac bushes have their leaves pretty nearly unfolded. I’m throwing away my blue overcoat. It’s absolutely shot. The edges are all worn off down the front so the canvas shows through. I can wear the old gray one for the few times I’ll need it now.

Unless something goes wrong I’ll probably be up home Friday night. I think I’ll take the six o’clock arriving in Albany at 9:39.

I forgot to say that my new boarding house is less than twenty five minutes from the office. It’s really the most convenient place to Wall Street in all New York.

Love to all,
Herb