Dart was in a tinkering mood today. He began by hooking Burke’s record player to the radio, so now the records will play through a better speaker. In the process, he discovered one of the problems with the family’s large record player in the radio cabinet – a fractured wire. He was able to patch up that part, but the motor that turns the table still sounds like a cement mixer. All of this was to prepare for dance practice when Dot visits. He’s sure they’ll be happy with the quieter sound produced by Burke’s machine, because they’ll want the music to be soft, low, and sweet, won’t they?

Next, he turned his attention to his little model steam engine. It’s been a work-in-progress for four years. Today, he got the motor running, but still hasn’t figured out how to attach the wheels. That problem will keep for another day.

With no build-up or introduction he announces, “You’re not going to like me. I’m getting awfully cynical. There’s too much wrong in the world, and all I do about it is talk in a back-handed manner. I gripe about people being cynical, yet I catch myself being often worse than those I condemn. I guess when I get so disgusted with the world that I even include myself in my disgust, things are getting mighty bad. Mighty bad!”

If her mother decides to come to Cleveland, there’ll be some serious scurrying around the Peterson apartment: windows and slipcovers to wash, kitchen and furniture to paint, wallpaper to clean, and much more. They’d better get started, just in case.

He wants Dot to keep in mind that he’s available to help her pack and move out of the Olin’s house. She can store as much as she wants at his apartment. He’s missing her so much this week that he now regrets declining her invitation to the PE department picnic.

He confesses that he’s in one of his discouraged moods, so he’d better sign off for now. Still, it’s as hard for him to close a letter as it is for them to say good night when they’re together.

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Dot writes that by the time she’d finished work and studied biology last night, she was too tired to write. Now she’s waiting for her bio class to begin and has time to start a letter.

A few weeks ago there were 8 waitresses in the Cottage Room at Robin Hood. Now, there are just two, so she really had to hustle last night. No wonder the poor kid is tired all the time.

In class this morning, they are scheduled to discuss the theory of evolution. She’s nervous, but interested, too. Although there are often bitter arguments during discussions on this subject, she likes to hear what all sides have to say. She’s still on the fence about it because she wants to believe in the Bible, but Darwin’s arguments go a long way in explaining lots of things. She’s decided to wait until she has more life experience before she makes up her mind on the matter. (I imagine Mom might be a little surprised to read these words. Will she remember ever giving serious thought to possibility that evolution wasn’t fact?)

She got a letter from her mother yesterday with some encouraging information. Ruth had been invited to a luncheon in Boston for some of her college classmates and she had declined because it conflicted with the time that Dot wanted her and Arthur to come to Ohio and bring her home for the summer. As a result, the lunch date was changed to May 27, leaving open the possibility that Dot’s mother and/or father may still decide to make the trip to Cleveland. They haven’t actually said they were coming, but Dot is hopeful.

Now, some further news on the Phyll/Al/Homer situation. Phyll has asked Dot to ask Dart if he will call Al and let him know that Friday is not a good time to come to Kent. Phyll has to big exams to prepare for, plus her parents are coming to visit. The message is that she’ll let him know about the following week because she wants Al to meet her folks. Still no word on whether she told him about her date with Homer, but maybe that’s all it took for her to decide to give Al a second look. Gee, I think we could all benefit from a scorecard on this sage.

It’s a beautiful day in Kent and Dot hopes the PE picnic tomorrow will be the same. She sure wishes he could be there with her. Today in softball she caught a tough fly ball and made a double out (not that Dart will know what either of those things is), and her teacher was quite impressed. “I’m very proud of myself, but I couldn’t do it again in a million years.”

Time for class to start, so she wraps this up.