When my grandfather died in 1993, we found that he'd saved several letters and telegrams that my mother had sent to him and my grandmother. It's hard to imagine now, when everyone tweets, texts and instagrams constantly, but a half-century ago, many people didn't have private phone service. When they did, they were required (thanks, Ma Bell!) to rent their equipment from the phone company -- and long distance calls were VERY expensive.
This kind of luxury was not within my parents' meager budget, so when my mother needed to contact her parents, she did so in writing. Letters could take several days to arrive, so when it was an emergency, she'd send a telegram -- C.O.D.
