My two sisters and I went to Mom's house yesterday to go through some pictures. Mom is getting ready to (probably) move again for the umpteenth time sometime in the next year or so, and she wants to pare down her junk. I mean valuable possessions. She also wants us to scan about a gazillion old pictures into her digital picture frame, and I'd pop whoever mentioned THAT possibility right in the mouth, if only I knew which one of us was the guilty party. Just in case it was me, I'll go ahead and slap myself.
Mom had a letter that was sent to my step-father in 1956 (postage was three cents). Sam lived in the Raleigh area, and the sender was Homer someone from Decatur, Mississippi. Not only did he have atrocious handwriting, but he couldn't spell very well either. I didn't notice it yesterday, but looking at the envelope today I noticed that it had gone to three towns in search of Sam. Varina, North Carolina (which doesn't exist except as the hyphenated town of Fuquay-Varina, but the postmark SAID Varina); Nakina, North Carolina; and Norlina, North Carolina. I don't even know for sure which town was the correct one.
The letter almost appears to be in code. There are random phrases that are decipherable, but mostly there are words and numbers that may be Bible verses in some cases. The writing is very close together and covers both sides of a very yellowed sheet of paper. At the bottom of one side, it says, "Please answer, Homer Loper (?), Decatur, Miss." It is possible to pick out the words "Father," "Christ," "Spirit," etc., among others. But there does not appear to be a complete sentence anywhere.
I know these images don't do it justice, and you probably can't even figure out what any of it says. I just scanned it in to preserve it and to give you an idea of how impossible it is to read.
I have so many questions about this letter.
- Who was Homer?
- What do all the (presumed) Bible verses mean?
- What did he want Sam to do with this information?
- Why does he say at the end of the letter, "Please answer"?
- Why did Sam keep the letter all those years? It was mailed in 1956, and Sam died in 1977. Mom didn't even MEET Sam until 1972, and she doesn't know who Homer was.
Hubby says it doesn't have anything to do with the Masons.
I think he's just maintaining the secret.
2 comments:
I take full responsibility for the digital picture frame idea, and I wish I had known she would have wanted a GPS for her car!
I think the sisters should get together with that letter and try to break the code. We could lock ourselves in a hotel room somewhere with a good supply of eats and drinks and not come out until we have the answer! What do you think?
Let's just go away somewhere with eats and drinks, and to hell with the letter.
I meant the scanning idea, not the digital frame. The digital frame was a GREAT idea!
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