Dart is still in port, but there was no mail delivery today. He says when the ship is on the high seas, no one seems to mind that there’s no mail, but while in port, a day without mail is a huge disappointment. While there were no letters, a large shipment of Christmas gifts was delivered.

They did drills out on the water today. The sea was so smooth that even Dart didn’t get wet!

Out on the fantail, as the sun set and the stars came out, several of the guys were discussing their first visit to New York City. Dart won his trip by selling a large number of subscriptions to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He goes into lots of detailed memories about delivering the paper to a huge route, starting at 5:00 every morning. Twice he grew his route so big that the company took half of it away from him “for his own good.” Twice he built it up again to double the starting size.

Anyway, he and 99 other news carriers boarded a train in Cleveland and traveled to Grand Central Station. Once there, they checked into the hotel (five boys to a room) and then boarded a bus for a day at the World’s Fair. He saw Times Square at night and walked around the city early in the morning, before the “natives” were out and about.

His memories include Art Carle, his childhood friend recently killed in action. Art covered his paper route during the three days Dart was gone. In fact, he was just finishing the morning delivery when Dart arrived back in Cleveland in the pre-dawn hours.

He says that in his two hurried visits to Grand Central, he never saw the great concourse. “I know I didn’t see it when I was there with you in July. I was too  happy at seeing you to care about seeing anything else at all. I’ll never forget that, Dot. I spotted you right away, among all those people who were waiting. You wore navy blue – a light coat, and a little blue hat trimmed in white. How long did we walk around in a daze, Darling?”

Recalling that joyful reunion and the one they had in Cleveland with his folks and brother Burke, he wonders when – or if – they’ll have another such reunion.

From her letter, he gathers that Gordon is in some way affiliated with the supply side of the fleet. He holds that group in high regard because they are masters at keeping all ships stocked with everything they need. They also have much more leeway than fighting ships when talking about where they’ve been and what they’re doing. The odds of Dart seeing Gordon’s ship are slim.

He closes “with all the love I have to offer.”

Today, Dot received the letter containing a photo of a destroyer. She says it’s much bigger than she thought and she wonders if the fire control equipment is visible.

She’s glad to hear that Dart likes the new song, “Let’s Take the Long Way Home,” but can’t figure out why it reminds Dart of her. I’ll bet the simplest explanation is that everything reminds Dart of her! She says that in the US, radio stations are allowed to broadcast “Rum and Coca Cola,” but singers aren’t allowed to use the word “rum” in a live performance. Bob Hope just substitutes “lime” for “rum.” What a strange prohibition!

She’s sure Dart has heard the news by now that Ernie Pyle has died. “It’s getting so I’m afraid to listen to a news broadcast or buy a paper. Within the last six months, Wendell Wilke, Al Smith, Roosevelt and now Ernie Pyle have all died. We certainly have lost some great men.”

She’s going to bed with a splitting headache, but she loves him “sumpim fierce.”