Letter written by Elizabeth “Lizzie” Russell Kirk 

Gravette

7 Dec, 1935

My Dear girls and Little R-

Well, it is 5:30.  Jess has started home and Lenora not gone to bed yet.  Sis not got up.  She is so near worn out, seems after everything is done there is usually something to keep her busy.

Well, Andrew is resting very well right now but if I try I couldn’t tell you how sick he is.  Dr. Walker came down from Joplin Mon. night to change the tube.  These doctors can’t do it.  Dr. Thompson here in Gravette 1 or 2 times every day.  Dr. Walker said you can’t build any hope for him for this growth is cancer, but he may live 5 or 6 months and he may go soon, you can’t tell.

Well, here it is about 6:30 and Lenora has lain down.  She wanted to talk over things with me.  She is so worried, she hates so bad to be away from home all the time and seems she can’t stay away from here long.  Last Friday, John got kicked at the stock sale.  They wanted to call ambulance to take him to doctor but he said “no he’d go in his car.”  They fixed him up, gave him shot to keep him from having lock jaw.  He had to go back to the Dr. Sat, Sun and Mon.  Now Lenora is here.  She had a boarder and really wanted to keep her to help out with expenses here, but couldn’t do it.  A close neighbor stays of nights with John and Beulah and helps with the work.  These expenses are a lot.  John has a sale at Rogers today and will be by about 9.  Jess McCurdy is a fine fellow.  I’m sure he gave Sis $25 to pay Dr. Walker to come down here Mon. night.

“A” (Andrew) is coughing up bloody stuff that Dr. “W” (Walker) said this cancer caused.  It tastes so bad (to Andrew) and makes him sick.  He just takes this bad coughing by spells.  When we first came from the hospital he was awfully sick and suffered with pain under shoulder blade kind of in his side, he wanted the electric pad, we put it on in full force, I didn’t even know you could change the heat to milder. Sis didn’t either but I said “I think we better take this off, this seems too hot.”  Sis said “that’s what I think, that feels mighty hot to me too.”  Andrew said “No, leave it on it deadens the pain.”  We did leave it on and burned him bad.  A big deep burn, it looked like for a while it went almost to the hollow but its better now.  We were sorry but not to blame.

Mattie and Vina came yesterday a while, their baby is not well, ‘a beautiful child’.  Both their children so sweet.  When she comes here she gets a girl to stay with the baby. Billy Ray said “Aunt Lizzie I want you to go to see us but I want to be there when you go.”

This is Wed. night.  Dr. Thompson is here, I like him.  Sara Bell has just left here, been here this afternoon, wants me to come so bad to see them, think I’ll slip off down there to spend the night some time.

Beulah is fine.  Last weekend she said “Aunt Lizzie Lenora told me she’d worried and worried afraid you’d go home but was going to quit and not cross the bridge till she got to it.”  They make everything so pleasant for me.  I would like to be with my children xmas but don’t know yet.

Love from Mama