Could there – is there – anything duller than sitting in a hotel room on a Sunday night?
The hotel is fine and right in the center of the Loop – the entertainment spots. So far I’ve fortified myself with a radio and a map of Chicago for the evening ahead.
The trip was fine and very pleasant except the “light refreshments” listed on the flight schedule consisted of a cup of coffee and nothing else. So, I starved until we arrived in Cincinnati about eleven. Then, the “lunch served aloft” consisted of a ham sandwich and by the time we reached Chicago I was famished! But, after a martini (and, oh how I wished for you) and a couple of sandwiches I’m set for the evening.
I hope your day in the country was fun and again, my apologies about last night.

I miss you more than I can tell you, darling — this isn’t going to be any fun away from you for two weeks. But, I’ll be back soon. My regards to your family.

All my love,
Louis

Monday night

My darling Rosy-

What a day I’ve had! I’ve been on the telephone since 8 this morning calling everyone from battery makers to soap makers. You know what a shy violet I am anyway – well, kid, I’ve been talking to every kind of person imaginable today. Tomorrow I start the travelling around the city.
I’ll start off ten miles north at 8 o’clock then down to Indiana (15 miles south) and back for a conference at 1 o’clock. It looks as if I’ll be terribly busy all two weeks. In fact, I don’t see how I can finish in that short a time. But, never fear, dear — I’ll be home on the 18th or 19th anyway come —- or high water.
As I said last night, this isn’t going to be any fun without you and could be so grand with you, but that’s the way it goes, I guess.
Right now I’m inhaling on this new device to break some indications of sinus trouble and should be looking forward to a martini, but actually I’m not. I’m not because I know that after supper I won’t have anything to do. I’m just dead tired so I suppose I’ll flop in bed and listen to the radio. I should go to a play, I guess, but that’s no fun – going alone.
Best close and try to console myself with that martini.

Best to your family – all my love
Louis

Tuesday night

My darling Rosy –

Your letter was most welcome this afternoon after a hard day’s travelling around this city in the cold and rain.
This AM I went to see some printing ink people way north – the our salesman here took me down into Indiana to talk to the Standard Oil people about asphalt. And what a lab!! Cost 10 million bucks. Roughly about 100 times the size of our lab in Charleston. Air conditioned – indirect lighting – movable soundproof walls and a thousand people in the labs. Well, my eyes just popped!! Their cafeteria where we had lunch makes anything in Charleston look small-town. Picture glass windows – moderistic furniture – deep carpets – ceilings about two or three stories high! It is supposed to be the model laboratory in the United States. And, their chemists – the ones we talked to are proud of their company. Quite a contrast to West Virginia P&P Co. in lots of respects.
This afternoon I spent with some people talking about insecticides. Something new to me and I’m still not sure I know what they were talking about.
Tomorrow at 7:30 this salesman and I leave for Milwaukee. I don’t know when I’ll be back or where I’ll stay. I’m not looking forward to this either. I should stay there through Monday, I guess, but on Thursday we have to attend a battery (like in cars) meeting at the Palmer House. Maybe I’ll see Tom. I have the head of West Virginia P&P in Chicago (selling paper, not liguin) working on a ticket to this Northwestern-Notre Dame game so maybe I’ll get there.
Send Helen’s list of silk screening material and I’ll try and get it. So far I’ve been on the go from 7 in the AM ’til 6 in the PM but I’ll try.
Think Mil’s idea about the sock slippers sounds devine!
Best close now – I’m still working on the Pink House books. I miss you terribly darling — my regards to your folks —

All my love to you, kid
Louis

PS How do you like this paper? Designed it myself! Like yours most much.
L.

Postmark: November 10, 1948 Milwaukee, WIS
Wednesday night

My darling Buddy –

Here I am in Wisconsin and one helluva long way from you and Bedon’s Alley – ‘specially you, that is.
Our salesman, Ken Steel, drove me up from Chicago (100 miles) this morning in his Buick convertible sedan (like Frenchy’s husband’s). We spent the better part of the day talking with the Allis-Chambers people here and Ken drove back to Chicago. I’ll be in Milwaukee tomorrow and go back to Chicago tomorrow night by train. I’ve gotten a lot of hot information, but I’m getting tired. Honestly, I’ve been working harder thank I work in Charleston. Up at 6:45 and back to a dreary hotel at 6:00 is no fun. Of course, I’m working extra hard and were I a salesman all the time I wouldn’t do it. Ken is a nice fellow but he doesn’t work too hard.
I’ve been having a lot of fun in the past couple of hours. The beer distributors of Wisconsin are having a big convention in this hotel. Naturally, all of the beer companies have parties for them. Most of them have lounge rooms in the hotel with free beer, whiskey, and food for their distributors at the convention. Well, I figured they wouldn’t know me so I visited a couple of them. Miller’s Hi-Life had a grand buffet supper with all the turkey and ham you can eat. So, I drank a bottle of Miller’s and ate their food and sang with their accordian player. But I’m home (and what a home) now. Think maybe I’ll take in a burlesque tonight. Maybe.
Milwaukee is nice and not too big like Chicago. It is large, of course, but still not too large to be friendly. Chicago isn’t a friendly city. I have a room about the size of our junk room, but it’s OK and faces out over the lake.
It’s pretty cold and snowed a little this afternoon but it didn’t even stick. My regards to your family. To you, my sweet, all my love.
Louis

Postmark: November 12, 1948 Chicago, ILL
Thursday night
My darling Rosebud –
Your letters this afternoon awaiting me when I pulled in from Milwaukee were most welcome, sweetpea. I’m pleased to hear that Charleston and you and you and Charleston are getting along fine. I’m also glad you miss me almost as much as I miss you.
Came back this afternoon on the Streamliner from Milwaukee — 85 miles in 75 minutes! Quite a train and boy did it run?!!??
I can’t wait to see the window (and you) with the new panes (pains) (any morning sickness yet?) The news of Corwin Rife and crafts is most interesting, incidentally. I knew that he was interested in crafts for he, Harry, and I talked about [it] almost two years ago. But, I thought he had dropped the idea. I’ll have to see him first thing when I get home.
Incidentally, what have you decided about the weekend of the 20th? For a while I was afraid I was going to have to stay over ’til Monday or Tuesday but things are shaping up OK now.
Tomorrow I go to another convention – battery makers. This one should be quite a bit more on the quiet side than the brewers! Incidentally, the burlesque I took in last night turned out to be only a cheap vaudeville, very poor.
See you tommorrow nite, sweetie, my regards to your family —

All my love,
Louis
spotty signature, eh?

Postmark: November 12, 1948 Chicago, ILL
Friday night

My darling Buddy –
Another hard day.
I spent today at, of all places, The Association of American Battery Manufacturers, Inc., who are in convention at the Palmer House. You can imaging me walking up to 280 strange men and wondering how to get started on liguin! Well, after pacing back and forth about 15 minutes I finally screwed my courage up and stopped some of them and told my story about liguin. I was then introduced to some chemists and since then things have gone fairly well. I’ve been talking to some big shots who could buy out West Virginia P&P in a minute. But, strangely enough they are all nice fellows. Picked up a lot of hot dope but all discouraging for us. But one of the big companies is very interested in doing some research. So, in a minute I’m off and back to a reception and banquet to try and get some more information. Hope to be in bed by 9 because I’ve been on my feet being polite all day — and, that’s quite a job. I’m glad I’m not a salesman. I couldn’t stand it.
Tomorrow AM I have to meet some more battery chemists from another company and hurry to catch a train to the Notre Dame-Northewestern game in South Bend. Hope you’ll be listening cause I’ll be thinking of you. The ticket I have is almost priceless around here and I could sell it for $25 to $35 (cost one $3.60), but the head of WV P&P here got it for me so I dare not do that. I had hoped to spend tomorrow in the art shops but this battery business fouled me up.
I haven’t touched the linoleum block & haven’t finished the books. Hope to get to it Sunday. At least I’ll get to the art museum.
Your letter was most welcome and I’m glad to hear that the Thrift Shop is going to be OK. I knew you could handle it. Look how you handle the Pink House — and me!
I’m not at all sure the game is going to be worth it to me because it has started to rain and I fear it may be cold and rainy tomrrow. But, I’ve sniffed some penicillin and to date only one sinus headache which I think the penicillin cured.
Must close and get back to the batteries – ugh!
Miss you, pet – and love you desparately[sic].

All my love,
Louis

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