Edith is working very hard to pay off some of the family debts.
At the same time she laments about her inability to buy better clothing.
She is also worried about her mother, and the fact that she keeps more cats around than she can support.

104 Sunset Ave.
Buffalo, N. Y.
March 26, 1928

Dear Mother:

I received your letter the other day; you certainly have a lot of things happen to break the monotony of life out there in the country. Well, we have a lot of things happen here in Buffalo but we don't pay much attention to anything. I read in tonight's paper where some robbers cut a hole in the roof of a clothing store in the night and got in and stole $10,000, and a week ago some bandits held up a truck carrying money for a factory payroll and got 25 or 30 thousand dollars, I can't just remember how much. I don't pay a lot of attention to anything like that.

I am sending you a money order for five dollars, and I am also sending the Green Springs bank five dollars to apply on the mortgage. My pay check was $18.37 last Saturday and I had worked just five days.

How is the weather out there? Do you need any coal? If you do you had better get some as it is too hard work to pick it up and carry it from the rail road, and what money you get you had better keep for yourself instead of trying to pay interests etc. Next Saturday I want to pay $6.35 to the Croghan bank on that note and I ought to pay the Gibsonburg bank $9.30, $3.30 of which is interest. Well, it depends on how much of a check I get. We worked hard last week and put in a full week, but they seem to be cutting us down lately. George says there is an awful lot of unemployment all over the country, and I had better hang on to any job as it would be very hard to get another one now.

I was quite surprised to hear from Bessie, weren't you? That letter is dated February 23rd, have you answered it yet? If you haven't answered it by the time you write  to me again you had better let me answer it unless you especially want to answer it. But don't keep her waiting so long. Are you going to write her a nice letter or are you going to bawl her out. I don't believe you had better do the latter. She probably had reasons for saying what she did.

It is too bad about poor little Tiger. She was about the cutest and prettiest one you had. But of course it was a female and would help increase your cat population. How many have you got now? Are there any new kittens? If any come you had better drown them while they are wet yet, as they are (illegible) then and do not know anything about life, and it would be better and easier to kill them then. It is a shame to have so many cats.

It has been quite warm here for several days or maybe two weeks and we have been having showers and thunderstorms. I guess we are going to have an early Spring, they say Buffalo has such late Springs and it hardly ever gets warm until June. But I guess this year is going to be an exception.

I have been looking all over for a coat but have not got any yet. I saw three winter coats last Saturday that suited me quite well but they were $59.50* and I certainly do hate to pay that much money for a coat this late and maybe not wear it much this Spring and maybe it will be all out of style next fall. I am sure I do not know what to do. It seems I am doomed never to have any good clothes.

Did Alma say how Libbie is? I want to send them $25 when I can get it. Gee it seems pretty hopeless when I think how long I have been trying to pay off the debts and not making much impression. Well, I must close as it is nearly ten o'clock. It has been raining and thundering since 7:30.

Lovingly Yours,
Edith

(Written along the border of page one is the following.)
This is the morning after or rather the next night. It turned cold this morning, the windows frosted and it snowed. Is warmer tonight a little.

(Written along the border of the last page is the following.)
Tell Ruth I will answer her letter just as soon as I can.
*They said these had been $100 coats, but I guess they will say anything.