1932 Cover With 2 Letters

There's been lots of show and tell here lately of love letters and such so I thought I'd share this little piece I acquired recently. Not a terribly interesting cover except it has three conjoined 1¢ KGV arches (#163). The the cancels (front and back) are pretty bad, though the front is definitely Neustadt, Ontario.
It does contain not one but two Dear John letters! Well, actually the guys name IS John. Letters from Bertha and Emma. I can't figure the relationship, but there's lots of talk of summer holidays (written July 24 and 25, 1932), some light hearted dissing of each other ("Her nose will be level with her cheeks and her eyes closed with fat"), pie eating, garden parties, and, yes, athlete's foot!
Oh for the simpler times.











John was one lucky guy!

I love to read these old letters. I wonder how old these girls/ladies are.
Sounds like a little competition going on there - perhaps two sisters.

It amazes me how vocabulary was so advanced compared to today. Eg. Who uses the word "torpor" anymore?
Thanks for sharing.

Camp Pine Crest is a YMCA Camp that's been operated since 1910 near Torrance, Ontario (not Torens, as incorrectly written on the above cover).

It is quite possible the letters could have been written to and from campers and/or camp counselors who were probably teenagers at the time. If the writers were perhaps 13-16 years old in 1932, that would make their date of birth 1916-1919, meaning that any of them still living would be in their mid 90s today.

Canadian history buffs will recognize the village of Neustadt as the location of the family home of the late John Diefenbaker, who was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada. According to Wiki the Diefenbaker house has now become part of a museum devoted to the British and Canadian Royal Family and is operated by the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust.

edit: I forgot to mention that the Huether family made an important contribution to the village in that they constructed the village brewery in the mid-1800s. The brewery still operates today.

I love the part, "...after being at church twice this week, it's inconceivable how someone can write such horrid things."

In the same letter she defends her pie-eating, saying it isn't possible because the other girl eats so much of everything.

Not to sound sexist, but I teach in elementary, and girls start this competition among each other very young. Some things never change...

I wonder if this could be the son (?) of the John Huether mentioned in the original post? It seems he, too, is from Ontario and was a YMCA Day Camp counselor, although many years later:

http://www.volunteermbc.org/volunteer_JohnH.aspx

I love them James! Great stuff. A peek into the past.