It’s a melancholy fellow who writes tonight, claiming to be uncommonly lonesome for Dot.
He missed her as he walked to church this morning, especially when he saw a couple he knew from Shaw walking across the street, carrying a picnic basket, and enjoying each other’s company. The man was Tom Hale, who attended Oberlin Conservatory and had planned to teach music in the public schools. Dart expressed great respect for Tom and hoped for a day when he and Dot might meet up with Tom and his girl (wife?). He thinks the four of them would have fun going to concerts together. He wishes they’d been close enough to call out to this morning.
At church he saw his beloved Miss Palmer – his Shaw English teacher. He walked her home to her apartment where they stood outside for quite a while and talked. As they stood there, two of Dart’s good friends from high school passed by – Bob Scott and Bill Seitz. They were also greeted by Miss Quay, Miss Jones and Miss Graves, who were not good friends of his at Shaw.
The other evening Dart read the condensed version of “The Egg and I,” by Betty MacDonald. He recommends it to Dot if she ever has an evening when she needs to be cheered up. Mrs. MacDonald has a great command of the language and a light and breezy humor.
“I’ve been using your blanket on my bed. I wish you were here to help me use it. Of course, it’s for a twin bed, but that wouldn’t matter to us, for a while, at least.”
He says he was going to answer one of her letters, but he’s just too glum. “It just isn’t right without you here. I’m so homesick for you that all I can do is sit with and empty feeling inside; a gnawing feeling in the region of my left ribs; and a downcast mouth and eyes. Not a pretty spectacle. Like you, I am insanely jealous of all couple I see who are happy together.”
He advises her that all those homely little people he’s been drawing in his letters lately are not original to him. He has several more he can copy into other letters.
He’s anxiously awaiting her response to his recent letter about relations with people. He doesn’t know what to expect from her, but for a guy who takes criticism so badly, he says has no right to offer it to anyone else. (I suspect he’ll be impressed and relieved at how well she takes it.)
How he wishes he could bring her back to Ohio with him, IF he gets to Greenwich over Christmas.
# # #
Dot, El and 28 other young adults from Second Congregational Church had a wonderful tramp through the woods today. “We drove up to the Audubon Nature Center and took a trail from there. The fallen leaves made a soft carpet for our feet and the ones that hadn’t fallen made a beautiful contrast against the brilliant blue sky. ”
Dot was the youngest person there but she didn’t feel out of place. The group is going to meet twice monthly from now on and she and El are on the supper committee for the next meeting. She knows she’ll have fun, but it would be much more fun if he were there, enjoying the gatherings with her. “We’ve missed out on so many social get-togethers with kids our own age.”
The Chamberlains have taken on a roomer, staying in the room Dart slept in when he was in town. She is a sweet girl who was in El’s class in high school and teaches music in the public schools. She has a beautiful voice and is in the Choral Club with Dot.
If she doesn’t get going on answering some letters, she’ll end up with no friends at all. She sends Dart all her love, for all time.