Before Twitter (I)

My mother’s father was born in Oradell, New Jersey, July 1, 1899. He had a twin sister, Dot. After my grandfather finished school at Rutgers, he headed west to Laramie, Wyoming, in the employ of the Certainteed Corporation, which is still around. Dot stayed home and was courted by a fellow named Gwynne Lewis, whom she eventually married.

In December 1924, Gwynne wrote this letter to my grandfather in Laramie:

Postmarked “Hud Term. Sta. N.Y. 7 Dec 6 4 PM 1924”
Addressed to Mr. Douglas H. De Witt % Certainteed Products Corp., Laramie Wyoming Box 614
On letterhead: Gwynne T. Lewis, 99 John Street, New York City

December 6 1924

Dear Doug,

The rush continues. Judge Hooker got hooked for jury duty last Monday and yours truly has been doing double duty ever since. I won his department for the time he’s gone as well as my own, so it leaves me up to my ears.

Hope the set goes good. Have had no news, so take it that no news is good news. Finished up the set for home last week and it goes pretty good. Used most of the stuff that John had and while it hasn't got the kick I like, it’s because the transformers are both low ratio and can be remedied by putting a high ratio in the first stage. I used the coil I had originally planned to put in your set. Never could figure out why it didn’t work in there, but it wouldn’t. Still you have a much better coil in the Bruno, so I’m just as well satisfied it didn’t work for your set. Don Day made a set for Brown using the Globe coil and one for himself using a Bruno coil and the Bruno set is way ahead of Brown’s. Still he wants to make a four tube set now and is willing to part with it for just what it cost him. He’s a great guy. Wants me to go fishing up in Walton Lake with him tomorrow. And there was skating in Oradell yesterday. None today—it rained. I don’t mind mosquitos but I do draw the line on freezing to death. I’m no eskimo.

We sort of got a hunch you’ll be drifting along this way soon. Hope you do make it Xmas, it’ld be good to see you again.

Suppose you have the cross-word puzzle game out there. It’s raging terribly here. Here’s one for you. Give me a six-letter word meaning “Ball bearing mouse trap” The answer will be published at the end of this letter. Try this on Ben and see if he gets it. Oh, yes, I’ve been looking for more Red Pepper for him but so far haven’t run across any. Guess they are getting too hot for the press or else all grabbed as soon as they come out. I’ll do my best to send him one for Christmas though. It should be something extra hot for Christmas if they run true to form.

I’ve been dubbing around trying to get some hot advice on your set but so far there isn’t a thought. It’s been an hour and twenty minutes since I started this and the few intervals when I’ve been let alone have been devoted to writing like hell. Just a thought. Try various B battery voltages on your detector tube, say from 16 1/2 up to 45. You will probably choke her up with 45, but then again your tube may take it without a murmur. Lots of them do.

12:30 I got yanked out again, so will put on the lid. Below is the answer. Ponder well before trying it out on your landlady. Regards to Mrs. Ross when you see her.

Gwynne.

Answer to X word puzzle—Tomcat.