Monthly Archives: February 2016

February 19, 1946

29. February 1946, Dart's Letters

To paraphrase Dart’s short letter today would take as much time and space as to copy it, so I’ll do the latter. Dateline – Chicago

“I think I know what a hangover feels like. If I’m right, it’s exactly the way I feel now.”

“Got into Chicago on time this a.m., after having a nice train ride on which I slept well. But that cold I had has me feeling a little dopier than usual, especially since I hadn’t had much sleep Sunday night . (Remember?)”

“The news is nothing you’ll get extremely happy about. I was transferred, after waiting most of the day, to the Navy Pier. As soon as I got a bunk assignment, I made proper use of the bunk for two hours. The sleep must have done me more good than the chow I missed in the process would have, but being hungry now, I can’t quite see it that way.”

“As far as transfer or discharge is concerned, I know nothing, and wish I knew more. I’ll make every effort to find out more tomorrow. My only concern for today was to find a place to sleep.”

“Chicago’s cold”

“Sunday night, early Monday morning, after I left you, I drove at breakneck speed for a few miles, with the frozen stumps of my legs wrapped up as much in blankets as I could get them. The speed heated the engine to the point where I could use the heater and try to thaw the tootsies. I don’t feel like risking two lives for the sake of a little warmth, though, so maybe it was best we didn’t work it that way on the way down. Besides, the longer the trip took, the longer I could be with you. It turned out very nice at the end, though.”

“Had to drive down to Bedford for my hamburger (with onions!). Got a cup of coffee, too.”

“Monday evening Homer Singer came to my house and stayed through my frantic cramming of stuff in my seabag. He left as Mom, Pop, and I left for the station. Has as many war stories as I have, (even more!) and some souvenirs. He’s big and husky, and looks old.”

“This is all for now, Dot. Thank you for being all you are to me. I missed you as much after last week as I did on the other two times – after I left you at Kent the first time, and after I put you on the train Christmastime.”

“I love you, my Darling. Please don’t try to write until I get better dope on my whereabouts.”

Well, that leaves us with a few questions: Did they see a play over the week-end, or just stay in? Were they able to attend church together? Did they take that winter walk they’d both written about? How much did Dot cry when they parted? What did Dot think of Fred? Did Dart see her newly decorated room and meet her housemates? Did the subject of a 1947 wedding ever come up with his parents? Let’s just hope that future letters will fill in some of these blanks!

 

February 20, 1946

29. February 1946, Dart's Letters

Dart has just enough time to dash off a note of 10 sentences before rushing out on liberty. He spent the day on a work detail – all day cleaning washrooms.

He looked up phone numbers for both Leffman and Spiegler – two buddies from the Haggard – and hopes to catch a quick visit with one or both.

After all the times he said it while he and Dot were together last weekend, he still feels compelled to tell her that he loves her, now, and forever more.

February 21, 1946

29. February 1946, Dart's Letters

It’s an excited sailor who writes this brief letter tonight. Last night he called his pals and made plans to see Leffman tonight and Spiegler tomorrow. Now, those plans must change. He’s on a list to leave the Chicago Armory tonight; destination is Great Lakes, and discharge is the purpose!

Last night he walked around the beautiful city of Chicago, ending up in the marvelous library of the Service Men’s Center on the Loop.

“That’s all the news for now. It hardly seems possible. I won’t believe things until I’m actually wearing that ruptured duck!”

Is Dart on his way home for good?!

February 22, 1946

29. February 1946, Dot's Letters

How nice to hear from Dot after such a long time! She begins by singing the praises of George Washington, loved and admired by students everywhere because they get his birthday off school. Then she begins to tell Dart about her break.

“My last class yesterday was over at 2:50, but I managed, by doing some fast stepping, to catch the 3:05 bus. I had thought I would take the 5:05, but yesterday morning I had a letter from your mom saying she wouldn’t be home from Ashtabula until late evening, so I made a dash up here to get dinner for your pop. No doubt he wishes I hadn’t been so eager, cuz’ the meal wasn’t good. The only thing that was palatable was not because I had made it, but because Campbell’s puts out excellent mushroom soup.  The bacon and eggs were greasy and cold by the time we were ready to eat them. My only further comment is that I hope you’re so love-sick the first few weeks we’re married you won’t care what you eat. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ‘Nuff said?”

Helen called right after dinner to say she wouldn’t be home until tonight, so Dot is holding the fort by herself. She’s enjoying the quiet and using it to help her study biology. She mentions someone named Kathleen who just came by to bring Dot a cherry turnover, which Dot hopes will spoil her appetite for dinner. “I’m preparing it again tonight, and am anticipating neither the task nor the results with much enthusiasm.”

She hopes to get Dart’s new address soon, or she’ll forget all she ever knew about writing letters. Then she quips that she still has her daily fan letters to answer, but her secretary handles all that.

The letter resumes on February 25, when she writes, “My Darling CIVILIAN!” She can’t believe he’s actually home for good. It’ll take some getting used to after all this time apart. “You may disregard all that balony about a new address. I’m satisfied with your present one now. ”

Apparently, Dot rushed into Cleveland to meet Dart as he arrived home from Chicago, because she talks of her bus getting her back to campus just in time for her to dash off to her bowling class. She assumes sleep deprivation must be good for her game, because she scored the second highest out of 22 girls with a 125. (I find it interesting that a phys ed class in bowling was all women – no mixing of the genders would do for such a lusty sport.)

It’s 8:30 PM as she writes this, and she has no idea how she’s stayed awake so long. She’d like to go to bed now and try to “sleep off” her nasty cold, but there are some couples downstairs in the parlor making quite a ruckus with their singing and piano playing. That leads her to a suggestion: Now that he’s home and she’ll be going to Cleveland every weekend to see him, they should make a strict rule about getting to bed by 1:30 every night.  “After all, there are no longer any trains you must catch, and we’ve got to discipline ourselves someway. We both agree that the longer we stay up, the longer we want to stay up, therefore, the earlier we go to bed, the easier it will be, and we won’t miss the best part of the next morning. Agreed?”

There was some discussion about what punishment she was given for leaving campus this week. She’s still under the rule that unless she is visiting immediate family, she must have written permission from her parents to leave campus overnight. Fiance’s parents don’t count, so she is guilty of a transgression and has been restricted to campus tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday, “which means my life proceeds as usual.” Also, if he intends to call her, it must be before 7:30. Yikes! What manner of sin or evil could possibly transpire over the phone after 7:30?

She signs off with a plea that she thank his parents for a wonderful weekend, and still half believing she’s dreaming about him being home for good.

Our next letter will come on February 26th. See you then.

February 26, 1946

29. February 1946, Dart's Letters, Dot's Letters

For the first time in many days, we have a letter from each of the young lovers today. As usual, we will start with Dart’s.

Dart arose early yesterday to take his father to work so that he might use the car for the day. Then he went back to bed and slept until it was time for him to go pick up his father. That evening, his cousin Marg, the piano student visited while she was on her break from Oberlin College. Even during her break, she must drive to campus to play for some of the budding singers there. She and Dart had a nice visit, topped off by a late night trip to Manners for some hamburgers and Cokes.

Today, Dart measured out “his” section of the basement and plotted his massive railroad empire. Fortunately, his scheme  was discovered in time and his railroad was reduced to a “wee county.” He’s discovering that brick walls and gas meters are truly insurmountable obstacles for a railroad, especially one that has no source of revenue. “Fortunately, the railroad hasn’t been built yet, so there’s no need to shed tears over the …passengers who board the train, ride around all day, and finally arrive at their destination – the station from which they left.”

This afternoon, Dart puttered around the house, unpacking and pitching stuff. This evening, he called an old friend Bill Mather, who wasn’t at home. Homer Singer arrives tomorrow. But the brightest spot of his entire day was his phone call with Dot. He’s sorry to hear that he got her grounded to campus, and that she was disappointed with her English grade. Tomorrow, he and his mother are planning a trip to Ashtabula to see Aunt Flora.

“Goodnight, Dot. I love you with all my heart and I miss you terribly when you’re away. The house doesn’t seem the same with you not here. I miss your torture, even though I do not always enjoy it as much as you do. I miss the softness of you in my arms, and the way when we embrace that we’re so wrapped up and close to each other. I miss your laughter and the sight of you.”

#          #          #

A certain phone call Dot had tonight made her feel like life was worth living, despite her nasty cold. And she wasn’t talking to that sailor she’s written to so often; she was talking to a civilian!

When she told Miss Olin that Dart had planned to come to visit on Wednesday if she’d not been grounded, Miss Olin said that he could have come anyway, and she could have taken her final grounding day on Thursday. It works out better this way, because she has a big biology test on Thursday morning and could use Wednesday night for study.

Joyce’s fiance Bill will be here this weekend about the same time Dart arrives. She hopes they get to meet and that Bill will play the piano while he’s here. Otherwise, Dot might be tempted to entertain him with her meager skills on the keyboard.

She begins a second page merely to tell him that she loves him with every fiber of her being and she can’t wait to see him on Friday.

February 27, 1946

29. February 1946, Dart's Letters, Dot's Letters

I love how Dart is using his US Navy stationery, but now draws a thick line through the “US Navy” part.  Today he even added a couple of gremlin faces around the stricken words.

He forgot to mail Dot’s letter, plus letters he’d written to several friends, when he went to the train station today, so he dropped them off when he got back from Ashtabula.

He and his mother found Aunt Flora and Uncle  Art to be quite sickly today. Whatever his ailing Flora seems to be hanging on a long time.

The train provided a cold ride, it was an hour late getting back to town, and Dart’s head cold is making him miserable. “Boy, what a fouled-up, continuously tired mess of a something you picked for a husband. But I love it. Not being that way, but being picked for your husband.”

He certainly hopes she’s kidding, at least a little bit, about her cooking. Otherwise, he fears he has some unsavory meals to look forward to in his future.

With a score of 125 in bowling, she has nothing to fear from him. He hopes she’ll learn the proper way of keeping score because he’s too lazy to try.

He claims to heartily approve of the plan to get to bed by 1:30 whenever they’re together. Now, let’s see if they can stick to those good intentions.

#          #          #

Dot takes a very short break from studying bio with Mid to write an even shorter note to Dart. “By the time you get this, we’ll be almost together again. Thank goodness. Have some big news to tell you Friday on the way home. I’ll be interested to see your reaction.” Hmmmmm. I wonder what’s on her mind. If she tells him in person, will we ever get to learn about it?

She bowled again today, but her score dropped to 110. Now she must return to biology.