It’s another short letter from Dart, written by the stolen light of a nearby flashlight after the ship has gone dark for the night.
There’s no news except that he got a letter from Fred today telling him that he’d received two fine letters from Dot. Fred says he has a very high opinion of Dart’s chosen lady because she writes a fine letter. Dart says he didn’t need to be told that because he’s been the lucky recipient of hundreds of her letters.
He has been hoping for an answer to a certain letter he wrote in late May, but none has come, and they’ve just heard that there will be another mail embargo coming. The poor boy is growing anxious.
That’s all for now, but he’ll try to do a little better in the future.
Dot, as usual, packs a lot of news into her four-page letter. First she has a little fun with Dart as she tells about two of her friends who are about to leave town; one for the WAVES and one for the Nurse Cadet Corps. Doesn’t she have awful friends, she asks. Tsk, tsk. Too bad they don’t have any faithful friends in the service to warn them against their folly. Why, they may end up being the only nice WAVE and nurse in the whole USA!
If, as he says, people are attracted to others because their taste in things is the same, then Dot is quite flattered. “If I am to you one-half as wonderful as you seem to me, maybe I haven’t wasted as much of my life as I thought.”
She wants to talk about that piggy bank Dart mentioned. She was going to keep this a surprise, but she needs to let him know why she doesn’t have as much in hers as she might, in light of all the work she’s been doing. Her big surprise is that she plans to go to Kent State University in September. It’s been in the works since before she returned for her Andrews graduation last February, and it’s not all settled yet, but she’s determined. Her reasons are 1) she doesn’t feel her education is complete, and 2) if they are to be married before Dart finishes his education, she should be ale to get a better job with a little college under her belt. She begs to hear his opinion of the plan, good, bad, or indifferent. “But please, if you’re against it, ony write one letter telling me so. The first one will be emphatic enough, I’m sure.”
She’s still wondering where she’ll get the money for college. This year’s earnings have gone mostly to the dentist, wardrobe, optometrist and the US government. Gee, that sounds familiar in these times!
She’s written to her Andrews roommate Nancy, who attends Kent and lives in the same town. Nancy has invited Dot to live with her and has encouraged her to get a Saturday job in the town. Dot also plans to start her baby sitting business in the new location. She plans to major in physical education and child care, with a minor in American history. When she told Fred of her plans, he was in full and enthusiastic support.
Dart asked her about the necessary steps to take so that they may announce their engagement. She reminds him that she’s as new at this as he is, but says that in her family, they’ve always hosted a huge supper party and then done a clever announcement during or after dinner. For El’s engagement announcement, they had fake telegrams delivered to the guests during dinner. For Harriet’s engagement to George, they had a big pot of beans in the center of the table. During dinner, someone tipped over the pot and out came a note saying “Opps, looks like someone spilled the beans that Harriet and George will soon be Mr. and Mrs.” Dot tells Dart that he’s the clever one, so he should come up with something.
Her driving lessons have been neglected of late. There’s been no gas on which to practice, so her dreams of getting her license for her birthday are fading.
Betty got a letter from Gordon today, begun on June 3. Then it picks up again on June 5, in his buddy’s handwriting. He said he’d hurt his hand in an accident and that he couldn’t write for several days. He didn’t mention how the accident happened, but said he’s fine. As it happened, the boy who was writing for him is from nearby Stamford, so they called his mother to see if she knew anything about Gordon’s accident. She said she didn’t, but she’d let them know if she heard anything. Dot hopes he’s really alright.
