3/10/39
Camden, NJ
Martha Darling:
Was I happy to get your letter this afternoon! I have been awfully tired all day.
You must have had a swell time with Tommy. I hope you and Maryellen come through the ordeal of the new jobs with flying colors.
OK on Charlotte’s info. Don’t see your mother or the battle-axe under any circumstances. It would upset you too much and I don’t want that to happen. Further, no matter who it is, with the exception of Doris and Cliff and the Huntoons and Rae, forget that you ever knew me. With your mother and the battle-axe conspiring, god knows what will come of it. I can’t see that they have a leg stand to stand on, but let’s not give them that leg by saying anything that could be used the wrong way. I’m glad Charlotte is on your side, but be damned careful.
The PO box is probably $1.25 per quarter. I’ll pay it gladly if it is convenient for you. Ok on Skip—thanks.
I shall try to get a coat, when and if I get one, which you will like. You’re right, it probably will be around for some time.
If possible, forget about your stuff out in the sticks. I have a hunch that your maw will be so glad when you definitely settle down that she will be real nice to all concerned. If nothing else, I’m sufficiently like Wayne to cut some ice eventually. We can worry about that later on. By no means tell Pop (yours) anything. After all, what he doesn’t know, your mother can’t make him tell.
The snap better look like you!
Apparently Andy is ok, but lets not give anyone anything more to keep secret than they already know. I’ll be damn glad when we can do what we please and not have to shush it up.
Boy, what a letter. So bright and pleasant. But I’M tired and it’s late.
Darling—go to Webb immediately, and I don’t mean maybe. I’m not scared, but I want both of us to be thoroughly cognizant of the situation. To be blunt, I doubt if you have tb and I’m not sure that he has. But syphilis has a habit of frequently popping out in all of tb’s symptoms. Either of the two are highly contagious and terribly dangerous unless caught in the early stages. A matter of a few weeks really means something. I don’t want to frighten you, baby girl, but I don’t want any more chances to be taken. I should have insisted on this nearly a year ago, but we kept putting it off. We have no excuse now and every reason to be concerned. I want you to go to Webb before the week is over and have a Wasserman test as well as the other two which go with it (Kahn and something else) in addition to a check for tb. The latter consists of a scratch which is examined three days later. From this they can tell whether or not to x-ray. I’m not losing a bit of sleep over it, and I am not frightened in the slightest, but I want to hear from you that you have seen him at least by the end of the week if not sooner. I have $30 in cash now and am getting a check for approximately $90 on Wednesday. I shall not need more than a few dollars of the letter and I insist that you consider the full 90 at your disposal for anything which comes up. With that much financial backing and with what is to come, you need have no fear that even if you do have anything, which I don’t believe you have, that we can swing a complete cure in a reasonable time.
Thank heaven you didn’t bring back any children with you, although I am not sure that even that would have made any difference, but if the—won’t call him that in type—gave you anything else, I want to assist in getting rid of it at the earliest possible time. This has been terribly frank, but we’ve wasted too much time already. If anything is wrong, that last year will cost us a fortune in lost time.
No matter what comes up, I shall never take back anything which I said on the lake front or at anytime since then. I’m afraid that no matter how you look at it, simply stated, I love you.
But please don’t stall honey. Get on your horse and get it over with. We shall both feel a lot better regardless of the outcome. If we wait until the 19th, we shall have so many other things that we will wait a couple of more months after that and it may never get done until it may be too late.
Well, snuff of that stuff.
I’m going to get a pair of cords for hiking tomorrow. Aiken wants me for lunch tomorrow and I shall probably be there through supper Sunday. You know, honey bunch, I think the man likes me almost as much as I like him. I’ve done more studying this week, but little writing. That is, little outside of a small item I am accumulating for surprise and amazement. It will take months to finish and shall be short and sweet. Hope you like it, although you can’t even guess what it is.
Pleasant dreams, darling girl. I shall write about my week-end after it is over.