February 15, 1942

Sun., 2-15-42

Dear Mom & Dad:

It’s regretful I am to say it, but – I won’t be home around the 18th of Feb. as I had planned. It will have to be later. I’m hoping to make it after the 1st of March. You see we are very busy at hdqts. right now & I guess my services just can’t be spared. Ahem! I surely sound like an important cog don’t I. I’m not even going to ask for the furlough tho, because I know it would be useless. We’re short handed as it is because the boy who took over my old job had to go home on an emergency furlough. He lives in Arkansas & as I understand it, a week ago they had a bad tornado there which tore up & blew away just about all of his home sweet home. T’was a tough break for him, but at least his family escaped injury.

It will be more to my advantage, financially, to come home after the 1st, because then I’ll get paid just before I leave. I thought I’d be in pretty good shape this month. However, after half-soling my civy shoes, getting some dry-cleaning done, buying valentines, making a trip to Raleigh, & buying a bus book & a show book, I find myself a little down.

I went to see Bob Coll last Sat. nite. He was lying in bed reading when I walked in & was very surprised to see me. He didn’t think I knew that he was there. In fact he had written me a postcard the day before, telling me that he was there. He’s been there about 3 weeks & expects to be in another week or so. It was a case of influenza that got him in, but a little trouble with his ears has kept him in this long. He has had some bad earaches & both of his ears are clogged up so that he can’t hear very well. The Doc. says it’s probably caused by blowing his nose too hard. If you recall, he always did have trouble with his nose & ears. I gave him my book Reading I Have Liked by Fadimon; he was glad to get it for reading material is scarce there in the hospital. Think I’ll go & see him tomorrow night.

I’ve been doing all right in receiving letters lately. They all come at once tho, so right now I’m snowed under again. Schaper & Lee both wrote to me last week – they’re in New York or thereabouts, at least that’s where the letters were postmarked. I also got a little letter from Tops, Clayte’s girl – remember her? She said she had heard from Mickie that Lee was on the way to Ireland. I don’t like the sound of that.

I was just over to the barracks & discovered your package of candy on my bed. Boy it’s really swell – thanks a lot! I think I’ll go back there right now & eat until I get good & sick on it.

Glad to hear you have some snow there – guess it’s about time isn’t it? From the reports in the Central Ski Association paper that I now get in the mail, skiing had been very scarce in the Northwest this winter. I would like to do some skiing when I get home. I’ll have to rent some skis I guess, because, if you recall, I cracked my skis in that last meet I was in.

The weather has been very nice & balmy down here in Carolina. It seems very much like a usual spring in Minnesota. Can’t understand how you can have snow up there when we’re running around in our shirtsleeves down here.

Glad to hear that daddy is still out there hauling the whoppers from the icy waters. Sounds as if he’s having pretty fair luck lately – that was some pickerel he caught.

We had our Hdqts’ dance at the Service Club last Friday night. Certainly had a fine time – lots of nice women. A girl I knew from Raleigh was here so I managed to get all of the “no-tag” dances with her[e]. (don’t know why I insist on putting an extra “e” on the end of that word.)

Well I’ve got a few more letters to knock out now so I hope you won’t mind too much if I leave you now. I’ll see you all soon – I hope. G’by & thanks again for the candy valentine.

Your loving son,

Dorance