Wow! What a letter from Dart! This is one that defines for others who he knows himself to be. The best way to tell about it is with his own words, so I will excerpt some. Still, it is worth a full read in his own hand.

“Once in a while, when I am particularly homesick, my ideas and ideals become vulnerable to attack from within my own mind and from others. But then, all it takes is a little urging from ‘the boys’ and my defenses go up again.”

He goes on to say that his mates were pulling the “Grandpa Peterson” gag again and calling him the “old maid.” They say I haven’t the guts to make a pick-up, to go the limits with some slut from the sidewalk, but I maintain it takes more strength, more moral courage to stay the straight, unlighted path than to go berserk among the lurid, fallen human beings. People are inclined to take the easiest path, so perhaps the fact that I can find so few people like myself points to the fact that perhaps I’m much stronger than they are.”

“Yes, Dot, I think it is worth it all. Having yielded to earthly temptations, I could never again feel worthy of the love of a girl like you. …If you’ll wait, so can I. We’re still young, and there are many formative years ahead of us in which to make momentous decisions. My only hope is that we don’t burn out our love before we can do great things with it.”

What can you say to that? My mother once told me that throughout their long separation, many people tried to convince her that she was a fool to trust Dad’s fidelity. They told her that men always cheat. They told her he’d surely be picking up girls in every port. They said she was naïve. But she always knew he was being true to her while he was away, and that he would remain true throughout his life.

Dot writes this letter early on a Sunday morning while still lying in bed, listening to “Tales of a Vienna Wood.” She’s disappointed at how long it takes for Dart’s letters to get to her from the west coast.

Referring to his hearty endorsement of Fitch’s soap for getting the yellow out of his white stripes, she asks if he receives a commission on his “sales.” She tells him that the Chamberlain family is angry at Fitch’s because a couple of years ago they had a jingle contest with the prize of a 17-jewel watch. Her mother, the family poet entered a delightful little ditty. The contest required that the jingle tell, in four lines, set to the tune of the Fitch’s jingle, why the writer needed a new watch. Ruth had recently lost her mother’s watch in a canoeing mishap, and so she wrote:

Summer time; a girl, a watch,

A lake, a tipped canoe.

The girl was saved, but for the watch

Looks hopefully to you.

Her only prize was a bottle of shampoo, so the family is holding a grudge.

Dot again admires Dart’s gift for description, saying that San Francisco sounds like quite a city. “No chance to get bored but plenty of chance to get drunk. Next time you go sightseeing, better you should take a body guard along.”

She reports that El is spending the weekend at State College to visit Don. While they might be having a rip snortin’ good time, nothing can compare to Dot and Dart’s weekend of just three weeks ago. In fact, Dot believes that may prove to be the best time either of them have for a long time to come.

She tells Dart she has accepted a regular summer job every Sunday, caring for two little boys, aged two years and two months. She says that every time she says yes to one of these babysitting jobs, she immediately wishes she had said no. Nothing to do now but do it. “It’ll keep me out of mischief and maybe earn me a few extra dollars.”

Before closing the letter, she reminds Dart to work hard, have fun and come home as soon as possible. She reminds him of the senior graduation prom in February.