Manzanar, Calif.

Sept. 18, 1943

Dear Joe,

Thank you for the letters that are coming in continually. Too bad you get discouraged when you dont hear from me. I'm busy all the time & at the only spare time I have I'm cleaning house. But saturdays are the best days for writing letters.

Wow, 44 degrees, thats pretty cold. Gee its cold out our way too so you aren't the only one thats freezing. Yesterday it was very cloudy & every body just froze in the morning. In the afternoon it got very very dusty & windy & so that your clothes & faces were all dirty. Your lucky that you don't have to suffer with a dust storm. Around 5 in the evening it stopped blowing & then it was better. After I came home from school I had to clean house & get all of the dust out. After school I went after the package & the post man said candy eh? & I just smiled. Sure enough, just as you promised, it was 2 doz. of baby ruth candies. When you said in your last letter, "don't be a "Rui Shimbo" I thought of the baby ruths right away. (Just like a hog.)

After eating supper & having 1/2 of a babe ruth & mom, a 1/4 & pop 1/4 that left us 1 minus. Sure was delish. Also chewed 1/2 stick & mom 1/2 stick a gum & digested our food. The gum was swell too.

Sawada san came & brought nasubi (egg plant) & so I made otskemono with it. Then Joki san brought cucumbers & so I made it the same way as I did the egg plant. Towru brought home some corn the night before & so I cooked it. Gosh, sure tasted good compared to the mess hall. They always make it half made. Then we all ate it together. It was very good. Then I cleaned up the mess & retired.

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This morning at 6:30, a dog started to bark & it woke everybody up. Especially when I was sleeping so good. I got up & tried to shew him away while Hynees nephew threw rocks. Finally the dog did stop barking & boy it was really a releif. I went to the mess hall & ate & they had biscuits, potatoes, & honey dew melon & cocoa. Gosh the honey dew was about the best thing that I've tasted yet. Just think. I'm wondering if you get any out there.

I cleaned house this morning & then helped mama wash clothes. Then mom went to work. Then pa went some place. Towru went to work & then I am alone.

I just went to get your letter & boy those pictures are nice. Joe, I like them but if it were not too much, the 6 cent pictures probably would be better because we can see more & not so small. The chapel is a very beautiful one. Doggone that pen, it would have to get fresh & drop the in right on the place I wrote.

Joe, you look very nice in that suit & I dont think that anyone would notice that it was a hand me down. But one thing I notice is that you sure are getting husky all of a sudden.

Tom doesn't look very happy does he? Joe, don't fall into the lake. Thelma is nice looking. Who's she? (could that be Wes's girl?) Very tall too.

Say you, your getting to be a weakling. Every time your catching a cold. What a matter you?

Gosh it seems as though I've written pretty many letters to you huh?

I guess thats all that I can mention now to your letter. Now I'll talk about manzanar, if your interested.

First a few questions.

Did you get the Bob Hopes story of They got me covered?

" " " " Manzanar pictorial edition of the Free Press?

I hope you did. Tell me if you did, okay?

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Manzanar, really is a stale dry place. Yesterday there wasn't a show so I guess it is postponed until next week. Gosh, I think movies ought to be seen every 2 weeks instead of every week because they get very stale to you. The next picture probably will be "The Yank in the R.A.F." with Ty. Power & Betty Grable.

Last Thursday night George Ichien went to the sugar beets or another words furlough. Everybody went to the ware house 37 where the bus was & they all left but it was late in the morning around 7:30 & they played Auld Lang Syne.

Mom said that Hiroshi Suzuki also left. When he left this was just the night before. "I guess I'll go to sugar beets" & then the next day he left. Without even asking any permission or anything he left. Gosh what a guy. The same night that George Ichien left mom was with Mrs. Ichien & then Mrs. Ichien had asked if there was time left & mom said it wasn't too late so they went together to her house. Mrs. Ichien said she wanted to tell her something very spooky. This is how it started. One night she was coming home from someplace in the dark & came by block 5. Then a man started to chase after her & so she ran into the womens latrine in Blk. 5. Then when everything was all clear she left for home. One time Mrs. Tanaka came over & she had to go home so Mrs. Ichien said that she'd walk with her so she wouldn't be lonesome. On the way back she again ran into this man in the dark & he started to grab her arm & boy she said she started to run like every thing. When she got home she

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was all out of breath & hardly could breathe. She told Mr. Ichien all about it & he scolded her. She described him as being around 40 & had a white shirt. Gosh it sure sounds spooky. Then Lily Odahara said that some girl was chased by a man & he was around 28 & young. Sometimes they say that these men chase the girls & women up to their houses. Now that it has been reported police men are always on the watch. Boy this stuff started quite a while now & its all round in Block 5, 6, 11, & 12. Where its dark so its very dangerous for women. They say the men that do that are crazy.

Tonight & tomorrow night theres going to be a fair with blk. queens & so forth. Lots of eats & etc. I don't know if I really want to go so I'm going to think it out. I'd rather stay home & study my Latin & Algebra, & English. Boy, school is really complicated this year. Towru will be getting his diploma on monday. Gosh I wish I could graduate this year too.

Well, I guess thats all I can think of right now.

Solong.

Until next time

Just,

Masako

P.S. Your belly is getting big like Mrs. Kelly's How about sending me your meals.

papa just came back now. Went after Towru's shoes.

Please excuse the messy writing. I'm in a hurry.