3/5/39
Camden, NJ
Darling:
I’ll bet people would like to kill me about now. It is nine bells, Sunday morning, and no one else is awake. But they have consistently told me that the mill couldn’t even be heard downstairs, so I am writing on it anyhow.
I don’t believe I knew the fellow who married the Park Ridge girl, but she certainly is a sweet looking specimen.
The laundry bill is enclosed so that you may get some sort of idea of the prices we will run into out here. I haven’t had time to examine them closely, but they seem to be reasonable enough.
Al and I were both so late Friday that we couldn’t get reasonable seats for the Women. So we spent a pleasant three hours in a beer joint (3 beers each—believe it or not) and then he drove me around the better section of Philadelphia. I take back all of the nasty things I said about the place. If one goes in the proper sections, it is beautiful. I know you’ll love it when you get to know it better. The throat-cutting is conspicuous by its complete absence, among the right kind of people. Your experience with the place is a common one, as there is only one way to approach Philly, and that is through the worst part of the city. The misdirection a stranger gets is not malicious, it is merely that most Philadelphians are so wrapped up in their own affairs that they don’t know anything about affairs outside of their own lives. I got home about two or so, was tempted to write you, but finally talked myself into going to bed.
Yesterday, I took a ten o’clock train out of Philly, arrived in NY at 11:30, and met JH at noon. Tell his folks that he is in good health, damned happy about his job, thinking it a big improvement over the Bando set-up, and is actually doing what the doc says about his food.
We went across the street to Childs and had lunch and a long gabfest.
And then we hopped a subway to Radio City and saw the program enclosed (indicated on pages 6 and 7).
The picture verged on the horse-opera variety, but it was rather well done, and the stage show was excellent. That is one of the places we will have to take in when we’re next there. After the show, we sat in the lobby and talked for another hour. Then we went down the street and had dinner, after which we walked about Broadway and tried to decide on what Hotel to patronize. About the time we settled on the Pennsy, I realized that even if we did stay over, I would have to leave by ten this morning. That would involve a night’s expense for the sake of a couple hours. So John hopped a cab for his station and I ran over to mine. His train and mine both pull out at 8. I got home about 10:30 (Camden) and talked to the folks here until after midnight.
I hope JH isn’t peeved about my running out on him, but I didn’t see too much point in staying over for just such a short time with him today. I think he felt about the same way.
I haven’t yet written to Aikens, but I shall today.
Oh yes. Jimmy sent JH the five bucks for me. Apparently Jim doesn’t yet know that I’ve left Chicago. His note was rather clever so I shall quote it.
Dear Cy—
Here are the five stones I so unmercifully hit you for in our last conversation. You should have been haunting me for them, because I have no conscience about accounts payable, etc.
Thanks a lot, and now you can drop over and see me next time you’re out without feeling like you are dunning me for the dough.
Jim
I shall write to him today, indicating that I am out here on a business trip, but not indicating that I am permanently installed.
Your two boys missed their gal yesterday. Don’t let him ever know that I told you, but JH says he misses you more than anything else out west. He seems to think I would be a damn fool if I waited for you after you were clear. His idea is that we should go ahead and forget college, etc. Perhaps if he had been a little closer to the world in general and seen jobs much more sure than mine fold up completely, he might not be so anxious for me to step out before I at least get a lease on that last year of school. His theory that I would be rather well established by virtue of having worked for the RCA for a couple of years is correct. But he doesn’t seem to realize how much more valuable I would be if I could unhesitatingly point to a degree in addition to the experience. Well, I don’t think it will hurt him too much if I don’t take his advice. That is one of the problems we shall have to work out together.
I hope you don’t mind the way I use two sides of the page. It keeps the postage down when I have enclosures etc.
Another thing you might tell the Huntoons, especially Jim, the next time you see them. When I wrote them, working on the theory that either John or I would eventually want the cow pasture hill receiver, I asked them to investigate possibilities of shipping it to me. Johns says he has also asked them. As I can’t use it and he can, and since I only wanted it out here in case one or the other of us should need it, tell them to ship it to him.
I was all set to take a walk today, but since it is nearly ten, and yet looks like midnite, I suppose I had better not venture out in the rain and fog until it is time to eat.
Mother wrote Friday and seems to count rather heavily on your visits, not so much from what she said, but from what she didn’t say and the place she put it in the letter.
I doubt if it will happen for some time, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if a mutual friend of ours lost control in respect to a very young young lady in a rather conservative New England state. Don’t worry, he has been properly enlightened. I checked into that yesterday.
Well, Darling, I’m sitting here more asleep than awake, as you can see by the typing. I shall leave this sheet in the mill and go back to bed. When I get up again, I shall see if there is more to be written. It was probably being with JH and the memories that aroused, as well as having talked of you most of the day, but I missed you so tremendously last night that it was almost unbelievable. Maybe I can get some sleep now, precious.
For goodness sake! It is 12:45. Imagine me sleeping that late. Sfunny—I’m yet sleepy. But if I expect to get any sleep tonight, I had better get up and stay up right now. I have a bunch of letters to write, my hair to wash, and some studying to get done. So I guess I had better quit.
With love to my baby girl. Cy