Two letters from Dot make Dart a happy boy, in spite of being cheated out of half his liberty. The ship had some dock trials today that caused a massive power failure on board and a delay in starting liberties.

While in town, he selected a pose for his portraits. He’s had two sent to Dot (to be shared with her parents.)

Yesterday, while walking across the deck, a large and evil seagull attacked him from out of nowhere with devastating results to his shirt. There was nothing to do but laugh at the situation, right along with all the guys who witnessed the dive-bombing, and all the guys they told.

He sure hopes his folks are right about an April discharge. He’s heard three different rumors, and only one of them is good news.

Isn’t it fun that both he and Dot wrote almost the same thing on nearly the same day – the thing about how youthful both sets of parents seem? I find that happens with surprising frequency, when they cover the same topics in letters that end up passing in the mail.

Does Dot remember hearing about Oliver, the torpedo man whose wife was injured in a crash of the Empire State Building elevator? He just read an article with an update that Betty may someday walk without the aid of crutches. She’s called the Sunshine Girl by hospital staff because of her indomitable spirit.

“Okay, lovesick sleepyhead. I’ll excuse you for once. But that three-pager surely didn’t seem as though it were written by a sleepyhead. Golly, I love you, Dot. …And stop passing out this borscht about you being a dumb female. You ain’t and you’ve proved it.”

He’d love to go “over the hill” and see her and his parents over the holidays. But he fears if he went over, he’d make a career of it and never come back. Better to hope the Navy sees fit to give him a two or three day pass so he can visit them legitimately. If they would be so kind, he’d feel obliged to return to duty.

He confesses that he’s sneaked by on lots of book reports, just as Dot planned to do after her hospital stay. Once, he found a condensed book by James Hilton, but later learned the condensed edition covered only about half the book. So, staying up until dawn to finish the real thing, he ended up comparing the two versions, and got an A on the report.

Gently, he wishes her luck on her theme, specifically that she’ll have no grammatical errors, and no misspellings, like using only one “m” in grammatical. (hint, hint)

He thinks Lyric runs about $22.00 per place setting.He’s only saved about $1.06 in pennies since leaving Norfolk, adding about six cents on each liberty. If only he had roommates who would add to his stash like Dot does. Still, he thinks Pop’s idea of using the pennies for their silver pattern is a good one. It looks like they’ve settled on the Lyric pattern.

A few letters ago, Dot wrote about her “dream man” before she met Dart. As it turned out, Dart has so many qualities that she could never have dreamed up that her former “dream man” pales by comparison to him. Dart says he could have written nearly the exact same paragraph about her. “There are so many traits that I overlooked in my dream girl that appear in you and that I like so very, very much. No one can dream up the countless little traits which endear you to me.”

Some of their long talks have dispelled some of his fears, but there’s still one that haunts him; the fear that he will someday inadvertently say or do something that would hurt Dot. “Oh, Darling, to hurt you now would be to kill me, or wish that it had. I love you. I’m proud of you. It’s the highest compliment to be loved by one like you. It seems too good to be true that we’re to be married. Maybe Heaven does exist on earth.”

“I love you for the things you are, the things you do, the things you write, the things you say. I love you for all you’ve been, done, written and said. I love you for the dreams we hold together, for the things we share. I love you for the prospect of being your husband, for making a home with you, for all that stands for.”

Dot spoke with a psychologist today to discuss the results of her psych testing that was done when she started at Kent. There was some good news and bad news. She starts with the bad: She’s emotionally unstable, too dependent on other people, and only of average intelligence (making her a bad match for Dart, she claims). I can’t imagine a 19-year old woman more emotionally stable than this one, so either she’s a bad test-taker, or it was a bad test! I also don’t get the “too dependent on others’ bit, unless that reflects her need to make other people happy. And phooey on the average intelligence thing. What kind of intelligence is that test measuring, anyway?

But, there’s good news, too: She’d make a good wife and mother,a good elementary school teacher, and she has marked musical ability. The doctor wants her to take more music aptitude tests, and thinks music will make her a more effective elementary teacher. “It was very interesting to talk with Dr.Boch, but it didn’t improve my ego any.”

She has not noticed a lack of humor in Dart’s letters – just maybe a different kind of humor. What she loves about his letters is that she can actually hear him saying the words that he writes – he writes exactly the way he talks.

She thought they agreed that she can squeeze harder than he does, but whoever is the best squeezer, they are in agreement that it’s much more enjoyable to squeeze something that squeezes back.

Does he like the little Christmas tree his parents sent? She found that while shopping in downtown Cleveland. The chocolate kisses are also from her, to hold him over until she can deliver the “real thing.”

Five of the 10 girls in her house are sick with the flu, so it’s been practically a clean sweep of their little corner of the world. How they can all get ready for exams under these conditions is anybody’s guess. But, her letters next week will be even shorter than her recent ones. There’s just not enough time between now and Christmas break to accomplish all that she must. “Still, my love for you will increase by leaps and bounds.”

She also included a list of addresses for her relatives so Dart can complete his Christmas cards.

Dart rushes to get a short note mailed before he meets Jack Blevins for liberty. The schedule has changed again and everyone gets three liberties per week. His and Jack’s schedule overlap two of those.

He’s eager to line his pockets with the “cabbage” he’ll collect from his paycheck this week. He thinks his pay is $14 and he could use it for his train tickets home. How nice that sounds!

Checking with the post office before leaving for town, Dart is thrilled to get two letters from Dot. He’ll answer them tomorrow. For now, he wishes he could tell her how much he loves her from across a dinner table set with Lyric sterling.

What joy! Dot just had a phone call from Dart’s dad, telling her the spectacular news that Dart’s coming home for Christmas! “I’m black and blue from pinching myself to make sure I’m awake. Can it be that in just five days I’ll see you? That I’ll be able to say to you personally what I’ve been trying to write ever since you went back?” Do you think she’s excited?

It will be impossible to think or sleep or study now that she knows Dart is on his way, but she doesn’t care about any of that. Of course she won’t leave on Friday! She’ll stay in Cleveland until Sunday night, so they’ll have more time together. They must resolve not to sleep any more than is absolutely necessary during their time together. She’s torn between wanting to stay with him the whole time and going home to be with family. She wants to see Gordon in his civvies. Oh, why does she have to live in Connecticut?

There’s so much excitement in her house today. Just as she and Joyce returned from ushering, Joyce had an appendicitis attack. The hospital isn’t sure if she’ll be able to travel home if they need to operate! She already had her plane ticket to Nashville and was so eager to see her family. Poor kid.

When Dot got back from taking Joyce to the hospital, she was met by Erla who asked what to do for a fainting spell. Before Dot could answer, Erla collapsed into her arms. Dot got her to her room, where Erla proceeded to lose everything she’s eaten in the last six months! Dot suspects the gas heaters they all use,and turned them all off.

She tells Dart she loves him, and if he doesn’t believe her, she’ll tell him to his face on Friday night!

Another of Dot’s swell letters came today. Dart says her letters are the best morale booster he could ever want. He’s happy she knows about the leave, but he wishes he could have been the one to tell her, to hear her reaction. He couldn’t call both her and his parents because the wait for each call would be more than three hours, plus he needs to save money for his travel. As it stands now, he has $24.05 in cash. His ticket will cost $23.75. “That doesn’t leave much for a haircut, does it?” His folks will wire him $10 for emergencies on the trip home.

Tomorrow a group of experts will board the ship and take her out for a spin to see what can be done to make her sea worthy. There’s hope that all the work can be done in Charleston, but they may have to move to another Navy yard.

Has he mentioned how eager he is to see her? He asked her to delay her departure by a day, but he wouldn’t object if she decided to stick around a little longer.

He thanks her for the list of Chamberlain addresses for the people he met in Greenwich. Looking at the names reminded him of the wonderful evening of the engagement party. Dot looked so lovely and everyone was so happy. He thoroughly enjoyed himself that night.

Regarding her appointment with Dr. Boch the psychologist, Dart thinks he could have told her everything the doctor did except the intelligence bit. Dart’s belief that Dot was of superior intelligence must mean that his intelligence is less than he had assumed. He assures her she’s far from being a wreck, and if she is, she’s the finest wreck he could ever have been lucky enough to meet. He’s always suspected she had musical gifts because of her perfect whistling and how quickly she learned to play the “sweet potato.” If she’s good with young children, which seems obvious to him, she’ll make a great mother when their children are young. He suggests that both he and Dot will have to be very careful when their kids reach the dreaded teen years in order to be able to bring them through safely and successfully. If their kids turn out as well as he and Dot have, they’ll have their parents and God to thank.

He hopes they’ll have a chance next week to renew the tickling rivalry and to work on their squeezing experiments. She has yet to allow him to squeeze her hard enough to lift her, so the winner cannot be declared. He’s been toting large sacks of provisions around the ship in preparation for seeing her.

Now, unfortunately, he refers to her letter of December 14th. She saw “Uncle Harry.” She had a great closing paragraph. She mentioned making snow angels. She wrote a powerful piece that reflects his feelings exactly. Sadly, that letter no longer exists, so we’ll never know exactly what she wrote. It must have contained her thoughts on s-e-x, though, and her feelings about waiting until marriage to experience it, because he agreed with that. He told her he wants to emulate the few men he’s known who shared that value and openly speak of their pride at having arrived at their honeymoon as inexperienced as their bride.

Just the other day, Dart was wondering if Dot had used up all the paper he gave her for Christmas last year. A few days later, she wrote to him on that paper! “Who says there’s no such thing as telepathy?”

He’ll begin sending her letters to Greenwich in a couple of days. She can mail his letters to the ship beginning Christmas Day. That way, there should be one waiting for him when he gets back at noon on December 28.

In the bright moonlight tonight, he was walking from the mess hall and was struck by the beauty of the ship’s silhouette. He had a moment of pride in her grace and size, and he could start to believe that someday, he might feel for this ship the affection he had for the Haggard. He’d like her to be able to see it someday, but that may never happen.

Once again referring to her letter of the 14th, he quoted a line where she said them having all they want in life today, so why live for tomorrow. He thinks that’s a very fine philosophy.

He ends with “Each day, the love I feel for you is added to all the other days since I’ve known you. The pyramid is becoming greater all the time.”

Dot writes a quick page before rushing off for her tap exam. She hopes she can get out of her Friday classes and get an early ride to Cleveland, but she’s not sure if it’s possible. And the buses into the city are so slow! Where will she sleep at his house? She mentioned someone named Kathleen who is using the spare room and maybe Mr. Koontz will still be there too. I have no idea what any of that means.

He’s cold where he is? How would he like a bit of this five below zero weather they have in Kent?

And that’s all we hear from Miss Chamberlain until Christmas Day.

Dart begins the first of his two letters in the early morning hours, before Christmas has dawned in Cleveland. He’s a lonely man, even while surrounded by his parents and  extended family. “As I sit  here guzzling my Pepsi, I think  how nice it would be if you were sitting here doing the same thing. And neither of us doing any writing. It’s nice to be home, but it sure is lonely without you, Dot.”

He tells Dot about his day which mostly consisted of him and Pop running last minute errands. They picked up a turkey, did some banking, bought Dart’s train ticket  and finished some last minute shopping. In the evening, he visited with some cousins and their children, as always impressed by the sharp and delightful little girls named Carolyn and Martha.

Whenever he speaks with family or friends, everyone asks about Dot. He’s pleased she’s so popular with everyone he knows.

Back at home, the small group decided to open a couple of gifts before retiring for the night. Dart was very disappointed that the dresser set he gave his mother was already broken when she opened it. He was happy to get a letter today, sent from Kent before Dot left campus.

“Just 48 hours ago, we were doing what I’d like to spend the rest of my life doing with you, right here, at this end of the davenport. I’m too lonesome to say much more. I love you.”

Almost 24 hours later, he finished the day as he had started it – writing to Dot. He’s just returned from a late night drive after the rain had washed away a good bit of snow. When the roads started to ice over, he came home.

His cousin Jim and his wife Dot Peterson stopped by today to give Dart a small pocket slide-rule, just perfect for using on board ship. “Maybe you should use one of those things for Physical Science. It’s hardly worth the effort, though, for you to learn how to use it. They’re nice to use if you’re going to multiply a lot. (Not like rabbits, though.)”

This evening, he visited his mother’s siblings, collectively known as “The Burkes.” He and his mom also visited at Edie’s home (his brother’s girlfriend.)

Telling Dot that all her presents are under the tree, just as though she were there, he gave her a run down of what everyone received from whom. Everyone seemed pleased with their haul.

“Your B.F. has all the makings of a nice illness right now. Sore throat, dose stobbed ub, and so forth. I hope I can shake it before I start that long train trip back to the Sunny (?) South.”

He was so happy to get her phone call today, and wants her to thank her father for arranging it. He was anxious to hear about her train trip and he was glad to hear about all the fun at the Chamberlain’s house. Why did her mother think she would stay in Cleveland over the holiday? He knows she was happy to miss her dentist appointment.

His mother heard them when they went to bed late one night, but appreciated their efforts to be quiet. He’s embarrassed and ashamed that he kept falling asleep that one night, but when they fell asleep at the same time, it was a wonderful feeling. “How can you be so trusting, so loyal and so lovely? That night was one I’ll remember for a long time.”

The next paragraph is a bit cryptic, but I think it refers to another conversation they had about Dot’s period. She was vexed most of her young adult life by extremely painful cramps. Dart seems amazed that, in spite of all that, she is so athletic and active.

He’s torn between staying up and writing to her all night, but the cold is driving him to his warm bed. “Goodnight, Dot. Life around here is as lonely as can be without you. How I’ll ever shake this “homesickness” and live a few more months without you is beyond my comprehension. I love you. I work, pray and hope for you. I adore you with all the love and tenderness it’s possible for my long frame to carry.”

Dot begins with “Merry Christmas, Darling. Think that by two Christmases from now we’ll be able to roll over in bed on Christmas morning and wish each other season’s greetings? Maybe you can wait longer than that, but I know I can’t.  I found that out Saturday night when both of us came too close to doing something we shouldn’t. I miss you so much already it hardly seems bearable. Gee, but I love you!! (To be read the way I say it when I put in lots of oomph.)

She tells him her favorite present was hearing his voice, especially when he said what he usually doesn’t say when his parents are near. But she got lots of other great gifts, too. She loves the perfect green sweater from Dart, and all the other sweaters, blouses, robes, slips, mittens, etc. that she received. What seems to give her a big thrill, however, was the loot that the two of them received for their future home; table linens, cocktail glasses, towels, etc. “By two years from now – if business keeps progressing this way – we’ll have all but the shell of a house.”

She surmises that Santa Claus had to skip everyone else’s house this year because it took him at least 10 hours to unload the stuff at the Chamberlain house.

Since the last time Dart and Dot saw that house, Arthur Chamberlain has been doing lots of work around the place. He began by removing some giant iron structure from the kitchen, creating usable space that is now occupied by “the Bendix.” I have no idea what a Bendix is, but maybe Mom can enlighten me. Also, Arthur has completely renovated the dining room from floor to ceiling, and it’s beautiful. Bear in mind, the Chamberlains didn’t own this big Victorian they lived in. They are simply long-time renters, but they treat the place as though it were their own.

Yesterday, Dot had a chance to see one of those whiz-bang CO2 fire extinguishers in action. She was driving the family car, Pegasus” over to Cynthia’s house when a policeman yelled at her that the car was on fire! Apparently, some grease from the brakes ignited and set a battery cable on fire. The cop yelled at her to get out of the car before it blew up. “Believe me, I didn’t have to be told twice. I was out of that car and a block away before I even thought about it.” Within minutes, two fire trucks arrived and a hundred people surrounded Dot and told her not to be scared. As soon as she saw how small the flames were, she wasn’t the least bit scared. She watched as the firemen yanked up the floor boards and sprayed the flames with the CO2. She was so interested to see the process that Dart had described, that the fireman asked her if she knew what she was seeing. She told him everything Dart had explained about the process and the guy was stunned that a girl would know anything about it. He was so impressed that he asked if she’d like to use it, so she did!. “More fun. It kinda made the sound like a radio station when you turn the dial.” (Now that’s another reference that today’s youth would not recognize. They’ve never tuned a radio with anything but digitally set push buttons.)

She says all the excitement made for a nice homecoming. “Nothing like bringing out an ‘old flame’ when you come back to town.”

Not all the Chamberlains came to dinner today, but the ones who didn’t stopped by the house at some point during the day. She’d intended to get a Round Robin letter started for Dart, but the day was hectic from start to finish.

When she got to town there were 14 cards waiting for her, plus two letters from Dart. One of those had been forwarded from Kent, so she and Dart have discussed nearly everything in it. With that, she pauses for a night’s sleep and picks up the letter the next day.

This morning she had an appointment with Dr. Howgate. The last time she went there, Dart left her alone and went out with Dot’s mother to purchase a certain little trinket called an engagement ring. The doctor says Dot’s wisdom teeth are coming in and she surely hopes they live up to their name because she could use all the wisdom she can get.

The mother of her old friend Nancy Clapp called to invite Dot to a surprise birthday party for Nancy tomorrow. Nan only gets the evening off from nursing school, so the girls will take her over to Stamford to see “The Bells of St. Mary.”

“All my relatives (‘our’ relatives) have asked to be remembered to you. They can’t get over how thoughtful it was for you to send them Christmas cards and they appreciate it. Someday they’ll realize I’m not just talking to hear myself talk when I tell them how wonderful, considerate and thoughtful you are. They’re so stunned that in spite of all these good traits, you still  picked me for your future wife.”

Today’s mail brought her the letter he wrote the day she left Cleveland. She hopes he wasn’t as worried about her trip as he sounded in the letter. It was quite bearable, although she has no desire to be repeating it in a couple of days.  She assumes he’s on the train now, too. She hopes he’s sleeping peacefully. She loves watching him sleep because he looks so peaceful.

“Goodnight, my Darling Dart. I have no fear after last Saturday that we will ever have any trouble about anything after we’re married. We love each other too much.”

The next time we hear from either of these young people will be December 28. See you then.

Dart is less than delighted to be back aboard ship, but it sure felt good to live like a human being for a few days. He won’t say “ordinary human being” because he feels more fortunate that the average Joe. His train trip was made to feel longer because he had no seat other than his Navy duffelebag. Sitting on that for many hours caused his talcum powder container to burst, getting ground deep into his dress blues.

He’s disgruntled to learn that the Craig is now on restricted water hours which have been deemed a permanent condition. That really burns him up! Under full steam at sea, with a much larger crew, the Haggard rarely had water restrictions. It’s another reason to dislike his new floating home.

A nice bundle of letters awaited him when he returned; three letters from Dot, a catalog from Kent State, a letter from Ohio State and letters from several buddies from Shaw and Case. One fellow who’s still serving in the Pacific says the tale of the Haggard is legend over there. He’d not heard from Dart since word of the Haggard’s run-in with the kamikaze, so he’d feared that Dart was “fertilizing some seaweed.” All his old pals send hearty congratulations on his engagement.

He thanks Dot for the Christmas gifts of paper (which he has now begun sending back to her, a few pages at a time), the scarf (which is stored safely back home to wear in his civilian life), the socks (which he will proudly wear on his next liberty), and the necktie (tucked into his sea locker, waiting to be worn with dungarees during his final few days in the Navy.)

How lonesome he is for Dot! A week ago tonight, they were staying up late on the davenport at his home. He regrets sleeping as much as he did while they were together, but not the time they fell asleep in each other’s arms and awoke together, on the davenport. Such moments make him feel strongly that they must find a way to marry before he’s out of school. There must be a way to make that happen. Also, when they are able to spend more time together, he suggests they try to limit their intimate, private times, lest the innocent activities that now satisfy them will no longer hold the same thrill and they’ll be tempted to go too far. Perhaps they could find benefit in waiting a year before marriage, but to wait too long would be detrimental, he’s sure.

He closes by saying the biggest reason to marry sooner is that he loves her so very, very much!

# # #

Dot begins her cheery letter while babysitting at the Miller’s house. When she arrived, the first thing Chris said was “Where’s Dart?” She’s tickled that the little guy remembers Dart after meeting him once, many months ago. Baby Eric has lost his curls and now looks like the cutest little roughneck she’s ever seen. The boys are being extra rambunctious today, and with her bad cold, she doesn’t feel much like playing along with them. She also mentions that the Millers moved into a bigger house to make room for baby number three, and that the Pecsoks also just welcomed their third. I guess these families represent the first wave of the post-war baby boom!

She was happy to get Dart’s telegram saying he’d arrived back at the ship on time. How she hopes that’s his last train trip as a sailor! (But if he gets a chance at another leave, don’t let a little train trip stop him!)

“After having seen you this past week-end, I feel as though I know you as completely as it is possible to know anyone. Regardless of how much sleep we lost, I think it was good for both of us to have those talks. It was a relief to find out you’re not quite as perfect as I thought. Now maybe when you know me really well it won’t be quite such a shock to you. Going to sleep in your arms Saturday night was the most thrilling thing that’s ever happened to me. Just think, someday we’ll be able to do it without having to keep an ear open for Mr. Koontz’s alarm clock. Oh, happy day!”

Today she got the letter Dart wrote on Christmas Eve. She and her family had a long discussion about moving to Cleveland, but they think since the Peterson family is smaller, they should move to Greenwich so the “kids” can be together always. The biggest advantage is that the Petersons will live closer to Lake Sunapee. She wants him to be sure to tell his folks that they’ll be coming up to the lake next summer with Dot, Dart, and the whole Chamberlain clan.

Tomorrow, Dot has her dental cleaning, and then a big date with some friends to go over to Stamford to see “The Bells of St. Mary’s.” She’s thrilled that her dad is letting her drive the family car for the occasion, after what happened to “Pegasus” the other day. He’s just happy that out of three Chamberlain vehicles, the only one with fire insurance was Pegasus, so all the damage will be fixed for free.

Okay, that last sentence is one of those lovely little treasures that keep popping up in these letters. Who in the 21st century would ever think that a car could be insured specifically against fire? Isn’t that assumed in all auto policies now? Also, it was fixed for free. Did they have no deductibles back in those days? When we learn about history, we learn the dates, places, names that make up the big events. It’s rare that any of us is exposed to these little details of everyday life that are preserved through private letters. That single paragraph gave a teeny glimpse into a piece of historic minutiae that might otherwise be lost forever.

Because of her cold, she promised her mother that she’d get to bed early tonight, and it’s already past midnight. “Thank you for being, Dart, and especially for being all that you are.”

# # #