Modern Rooms at the Plaza Hotel : Johnston City Illinois

From Johnston City Illinois On hotel stationary ~

Dearest Ange, Arrived here in Johnston City this afternoon about 2 O'clock. We haven't played since Tuesday night. This game here in Johnston City, in our opinion, was supposed to have been played th 10th but when we arrived here found out it was for the 11th. Henry Bell said he had to go home Friday night (the 11th) on account of his business at home. Johnny wired Reedy for another machine and driver. If he does not get here we will be stuck, if Henry leaves. I might be home before long. We are supposed to play in Bloomington, ll. the 12th. It is about 250 mi or so from here. If that machine and driver don't come, God help us. I hope you and your mother like those cards. It was the best I could get at the time. Al is sleeping with me. He is in bed now and wants me to turn out the lights. He says that he can't go to sleep. I haven't heard from you yet. I have a few clippings that I am sending home. Go over and look at them. (they are not very much) Well, Ange, I guess I'll have to close now hoping to hear from you soon and more sooner. Love and kisses as everxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Guy Tell Ed , Ham, Snyder) and rest I'll write as soon as I can. Tell family hello. (If I come home soon I will send a telegram) Don't tell anybody about Henry coming home and about us being stuck if another driver and machine don't come.

This letter was written on May 11th, I guess and Pop (Guy) didn't want anyone to worry about them being stuck. I cannot imagine no telephone or almost losing a driver so many miles from home. I do remember Pop's stories about traveling and playing ball. The players were rooming together and it was a crazy time, the machine was a car that they were traveling in and Henry must have been the driver. Everyone would wait to hear from Pop and meet up at his Mother and father's home on West 10th Street to get the news as to how "the boys" were doing, and knowing my Great-grandfather Guy Daines Sr. there would have been hell to pay if the team had been stuck! What a time it must have been there in Johnston Illinois on that summer day in May of 1934.

May 11th? From "The Old Man"

I just found two letters dated May 7th 1934. The earliest one was sent at 6:30 PM from Newport Kentucky to Guy Daines Box 83, Newport KY C/o H. Reed written in the lower left corner of the envelope(the stamp is "in Honor of the Mother's of America" Three cents!) The upper right hand of the letter has 11-34 and I am not sure if this is the correct envelope or what those numbers actually mean. This letter is addressed to as:

Dear Son. Received your letter yesterday and sure was glad you all got there safe. Too bad "Henny?" got lost on the way. Very glad you won even if you did not get any safe hits. You know you can't hit safe all the time, some one is bound to catch them some times. Newport High Lost to Elder Tuesday. There was a piece in the Enquirer yesterday stating it was on account of Al not catching, it said Sandfoss was persuaded to go away with the Kentucky Colonials, a recreational ball Team. Foster is sore as hell I hear. Give all the boys our very best regards and tell hat to keep up the good work. Ange was over to our house last night and showed us the pictures you all had taken on the beach in Florida. Reedie and Helen was also down last night. He told no you could not play your second game on account of one of the players dieing. He says he is trying now to getyou all to go to St, Louis next week. Our radio went on the bum Wednesday night. We had it fixed yesterday it cost us $5.30. Those oranges did not come yet and I don't believe they ever will. I think that man was kidding you boys. You did not go and see about your basketball when you was home did you. You know I don't know your ball. My old machine is sure going on the fritz. I had to throw a tire away yesterday. It blew out. I guess the boys will be over tonight to play cards. You ought to see how nice Ange and Hendrix looked the other evening. They were both dressed alike in some kind of large checked dress with Tam and gloves to match. She looked very nice. Well I can't think of any thing else will ring off. Tel hat and all the boys Hello. Loads of love & kisses all Love and kisses from your Mother dad and little Bro. Mother and Grandma sure was pleased with their Mother's cards. It sure was very thoughtful of you. I feel proud of you that you thought of them, good luck. Your Old Man

Two things I am not sure of and many questions remain long after I type and read through this box of faded letters, to begin for one~ I am not sure of the date on this one as it refers to game (could be baseball or football if this was written in November. It very easily could have been put into the wrong envelope as this envelope is posted for May 11th. I guess we will never know. I will look for an envelope dated November and see if the letter is dated for May. This letter was written by my grandfather's father Guy Daines and sent from 506 W, 10th Street in Newport Kentucky.

I am not sure why I keep finding myself back here at the computer typing out these letters. I guess there is some hidden need for me to touch my grandparents again, through these old inked and penciled pages. It seems as if there is some tactile transference of something deeper and real through the pages that I hold in my hands. Just knowing that they are a part of a time before me and a time when reaching out through letters was slow and anticipated, sometimes more patiently than at other times. This connection grounds me somehow to a personal and yet shared history that negates time, that touches them as they once were. I feel that perhaps it was not so long ago that they were here, that they wrote, that they laughed, that he fielded and had those hits. I long for just one chance to visit a game and to see him through the eyes of the crowd, as he shined.