A Valentine's Day letter from Frances

Today's Valentine from Frances is actually a mixed bag: part love letter and part business report.  Maybe Monty or Martha can fill in some of the blanks about the tax situation Frances finds herself in, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the Macon Road Property in Tennessee.  Frances also mentions her uncle Gartrell, Pop's brother, but I can't remember if he was still living at 992 Washita or not.

St. Valentine's Day

Dearest,

It looks like I can have more things happen to me when you are away.  The tax assessor in Memphis returned my check of $43.00 for the 1945 taxes.  He said that the taxes on Doc Hall's piece of property had been revaluated this year and was now valued at $2,479, making the tax on it around $20.00, instead of the former sixteen.  The taxes are now fifty dollars on the entire Kerrville property.

The little postal cards sent out for each piece of property wandered all around the country trying to catch up with me.  I didn't received the one about Doc Hall's place, but it didn't worry me.  I just looked on last year's receipt and copied those.  I made the bill up, deducted it from Herbert and Ruth's share, sent them checks, etc.  Then this comes back to me.

I wrote him a letter and asked why the tax on that place had been increased and none of the others had.  The letter is upstairs.  I will try to enclose it for you to see.

I will go ahead and send him a check for the increased amount.  It makes Grandmother pay an extra seven dollars this year.  That isn't much, but it irks me for her to take the rap on it.  I think next year when I make out the bills and income, I will add it in and return about five dollars to Grandmother.

I have written Alf Mason about investigating the roof at Kerrville but I haven't heard from him yet.

You know, this is excellent training for me.  I just hope I have sense enough and force enough to keep it in good shape until you return.  Then, I shall return it to you most graciously.  You are such a wise and understanding person.  You can judge things on the larger scale.  You know where to put on the pressure and where to apply soft soap.

I talked to Gartrell today and he was happy that you had written to Mr. Cates about his son.  He said that they flew the boy back to the states this week and that he is home in Atlanta now.

Darling, you have been wonderful about looking up people and going to so much trouble to do it.  I know you do the thoughtful things that people appreciate.  Darling, I am just so proud of you.  I love you dearly because you are so much fun to love and because you are an inspiration to me.  You are not the boy I married.  You have grown and developed throughout the years.  Your spriritual depth has increasd.  Your thoughtfulness and consideration for those about you has grown and has given your personality more warmth and richness.  You have developed your various abilities as the man with the five talents did.  You have emerged from your cocoon and are now beginning to display your richly colored wings.

It has been a pleasure to watch you grow and to feel like I may have helped in some small way.  I realized it to some extent during the process, but now that we are separated, I can have more time to think about these things.

I also know that with each day, each week and each year that I have been your wife, my love for you has increased a thousandfold.  All these years you have made life so interesting and so full for me that I am lost without you.

Martha has learned to climb up into small chairs and stools and get wonderful lovely things that have been withheld from her.  The other day she found the little Japanese lantern.  Where once it was one now it is two, I am sad to relate.

I received your letter written on the green paper.  I want to comment on it in my next letter.

Hope you had a nice stay at Nikko.

All my love,

Frances