Dart begins his letter near the end of his telephone watch. He says he’s in his seat, “in front of, under, between, surrounded by a few thousand dollars worth of gadgets and gray paint.”
He will try to drop a letter to Gordon because he knows how much mail means when one is incapacitated. He’s tried numerous times to find Gordon’s ship when the Haggard was on the move among other ships, but he hasn’t been successful. Their meeting may have to wait until the war is over.
When he resumes this letter the next day, he writes, “As you probably guessed by now, you may be seeing me pretty soon. We’re still not quite sure of our timing or of the arrangements.” He explains that when a ship is in the USA, the crew is divided into three leave parties so that there is always sufficient crew on board. As it stands now, he’s in the second group to get leave, but he’s not sure when they’ll be home for the leaves to start. But the importnat news remains; HE’S COMING HOME!
He approves of the agreement Dot suggested – that if either of them senses their feeling for the other are changing, they should speak up immediately. “I’d rather not be thinking of such things, but in view of Don’s actions, perhaps it’s best that we make such an agreement. …Damn this war anyway! It’s shooting all out hopes and plans to pieces. We must make the most of what we have. That doesn’t mean rushing into things. We must take them as they come.”
“Well, (he says with a wry grin), I guess I pulled a boner on that ‘not smart about one thing’ deal. I should write books on ‘how to embarrass oneself in one easy sentence.’ When I read your paragraph in reply to mine, somebody asked me where I got my face so sunburned.”
On June 23rd, Dot had asked him in a letter if he’d seen June’s full moon. “Oh brother! Did I see a moon! …That was the night I wrote about when we pulled into port during such a beautiful evening. When our mail came aboard and was sorted, we sat around on deck and read our letters by moonlight, at midnight! That night I received your answer to my question about becoming engaged and you ask did I see the moon!”
He concludes by writing that he’d hoped to write 6 pages tonight, but they are being asked to cut down on letters. Some ships’ crews are limited to two-page letters because the censoring task takes so long. He understands that censoring is a tedious and disagreeable, but letter writing is his only joy. The movies shown on board are childish affairs, he doesn’t drink, and he takes no pleasure in gambling. His pen is his only pleasure and if they greatly curtailed his use of it, he’d be lost. So, he heeds the request for shorter letters and sends his undying love.
Another brief note from Dot, written while she’s babysitting for her niece, Toni Gale. Harriet and George have gone out to dinner with their foster daughter, Helen and Helen’s boyfriend Bob, recently returned from the war. Dot writes that Helen is a mature 16-year old with a sweet disposition. Bob is a swell fellow, aged 23, with three years of optometry school in front of him, “So, they still have plenty of time to map out what they plan to do with the rest of their lives.”
Dot hopes to get a nap in before they get home, so she wraps up the letter. She misses Dart and his letters very much. Won’t she be thrilled in a few days when she receives Dart’s letter with the news that he’s on his way home!
