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Postmarked November 18, 1920
Miss Marie McCarthy
1322 E 111^th St
Cleveland, Ohio

My dear Marie –

Your lovely box of candy arrived today and every piece I have tasted, I have found excellent – both stuffing and outside.

Please thank Marie G. for her part and also Lucille for sending it. You are all very sweet and nice.

Our letters must have passed on the way. Yours came very promptly and I suppose you have received mine by this time.

Now I am looking for another one from you saying that you can go Saturday evening.

If I come I will come up on the early morning train from Mortimer.

Eve said something about us having dinner with them Saturday evening.

I’ll call you up at Gentner’s Saturday afternoon as no doubt you will want to go home after work. Then we can tell better what we will do. All of this, provided, you can go.

You ask me what the “B” stands for in my name. Well, when I came into the world my father and mother neglected to assign me a middle name. When I grew old enough to notice it, I thought I ought to have one. I can’t remember whether B was the only letter in the alphabet I knew or not, but any way I chose B. I didn’t go any farther with it so it is just B.

Someday I may find a name commencing with B that suits my fancy, then I’ll adopt it. Have you any suggestions.

Once a long, long time ago, when I was still in high school and was captain, manager, fullback, and a few other things, of the foot ball team, I happened to be painting side walks, advertising a game, with several other youngsters.

Among these boys was one who insisted in swiping me with a broom as I was bent on my artistic endeavors. I finally got tired of it and grabbed a broom and lit into him. When he said “nuf” I quit. He called me Bill and as I didn’t know who he was I called him Bill. After that we were good friends and the name Bill stuck to me until now. In high school I had the prefix B&D. What I’m getting at is that this boy was Claire Kagy who was murdered in Cleveland. I believe the trial is now going on. Now you know as much as I do about my “B”.

I must compliment you again, as a candy maker. I think you have Craves beaten 6 mil. Lets get some more.

Three more sleeps.

Sincerely,
Bill
Findlay, Ohio
Nov 17, 1920

The dates associated with most of these letters came from the post mark on the envelope the letters were placed in when the museum received them as a donation. Some of the letters may seem out of place, or out of order because of this. As we have no clear knowledge of exactly when all the letters were written, we have kept them in order of the dates on the envelopes.