EDITOR’S PICK
To Marie Shubert from Bertha Ballou – Approx. 1943
[Note: Bertha is about 53 years old. She is a professional artist in Spokane, WA and lives with her sister Sally, who is a librarian.]
2920 W. Sherwood
Spokane
Dear Marie,
Just received your card and + glad as always to hear from you and your interesting family. Please tell Dorothy, to whom I shall also write immediately – I hope – that I meant to have sent you both cards but have been swamped professionally – believe it or not – orders and orders ahead – and was working so hard in getting on fine in spite of having my brother’s boy – 16 – on our hands now [Note: This was Bill Ballou, the grandfather of the editor.] and then flu – no possibility of giving up and going to bed – just got up a little later – Sally doing the breakfast – then did the telephoning & husking up & dinner preparing and packages wrapping – lying down on the couch when I got too exhausted, then up and at it again.
Library down & its last possible substitute short of closing doors so when Sally came down with flu she took least possible time off and I jumped into breach here at home because she was sicker. She went back to work just before Xmas the day after Bill was down – of course he had to be put to bed and waited on & was cross as a bear – and away from his brothers for the first time so today for the second time only have I been able to work a little on a portrait whose background I am redoing while too indisposed to take on sitters – well it has been hectic and I’m not the gal that you are – too much work has the effect of stunning me – & none too bright at best.
Am inclined to dwell on the difficulties when I write – actually, if I didn’t have this household drudgery, life would be quite a lot of fun. I’m old and squat and fat, but two or three years ago the town’s eligible widower said (to someone else) that I was the handsomest single woman (naturally of a “certain age”) in Spokane.
I’m not – but Sally say I’ve held my own as well as anybody except my best friend who is beautiful – & rich so that she has gorgeous clothes – (I have some of them too – because she passes them on when she’s tired of them – or doesn’t like them – & I make them over – but it’s a secret. Also, while the man interest has passed out of my life except for endeavors to please my captive’s 16 year old – I do have a lot of fun doing portraits.
Much of my momentary prosperity is due to my good fortune in pleasing a sitter whom I did last summer. He has become an indefatigable promoter and has given me five more commissions himself – four small ones and one (a) larger – a replica of the first portrait – isn’t that a joke? but a lovely one for me. Of course everything here is on a modest scale – I make no more than a living. A very modest one in ordinary times – and with rising prices etc – I hope this year to be able to finish paying for the tiny orchard on the vacant lot next (to) my studio. Have watered the trees & gathered the apples for years. The trees are old or gnarled & Rachamesque – & I adore them – & now they are mine – or will be, I trust, by 1945 – and some other projects that we have had in mind may be realized – possibly.
Our days pass in work – our evenings in reading – much interrupted by the necessity of pushing, pulling and prodding the youth through the intricacies of math, English & Spanish. If we can manage it financially we plan on trying to induce his father to let him go to a Canadian boy’s school next year. A little British polish and mannerliness will not be out of place and the strain on Aunts will be considerably less.
Besides the aforementioned interest we have cats – many. They are very naughty & amusing & the way they can take balls off a Christmas tree is surprising – this morning I saw one love long haired “Cream-puff” standing on top of an electrolier [Note: A chandelier] (with an old fashioned solid top) on his hind legs reaching up for the higher balls that had escaped before. He got two. Our tree is always a small one which stands in a great brass jardiniere on a big table – & reaches from there up to our rather high ceiling.
Bill love the cats & when he is well anywhere up to seven may be found sleeping with him. Bill himself is 5’11” – not handsome, I think, though some girls do – but has charm. Not too many brains – but I think he’s a better boy than his father was at the same age which frankly is not excessive praise.
Now must get on with the job. Love & Happy New Year – BBB