Dearest Gee.
Guess we are both in the same boat on our writing as I slipped up last night. Had one all started and Doug came barging in and wanted me to go to town. Think I told you that Doug’s wife brought his car up last week end. He has it parked outside the gate. Now he is going around to all his relation and scraped-up acquaintances trying to get some ration points for gas. That was one reason he wanted to go in last night. He has an uncle that is well off living in South Burlington (about three miles from town) so we drove over there. No points there. Then he wanted to go over to the airport to see the manager. He had met him the night he flew him on his furlough. In fact, they were on a bun together. Somewhere along the lines he had picked up some R coupons from a railroad guy and he wanted this manager to try and cash them in for him. I guess they have it fixed up someway. He has to have at least 15 gallons to get home on.
We left there and came back to town. Went down in the basement of the Van Ness and had an drink. Nobody was in there but us and another soldier. We left there and went to the Black Cat for the first time. Sure can’t say I was impressed with that place. They had a juke box going and the guys were jitter bugging. We sit there the rest of the evening and watched the maneuvers and drank Coke hi’s at 50¢ a crack. Couldn’t enjoy the drinks for thinking of the price.
Sunday I went in town around noon. Ate dinner at the Arcadia and then went right down and had eggs and toast at some joint. Sure was hungry. Thought I would go to the show but they don’t have any shows in the afternoon. Fine thing! There I was with nuthin to do and all by myself. Close didn’t want to go to town as he was supposed to be on duty. Went over and sit in the city park and finally worked up a conversation with some old codger. We talked the afternoon away. About four thirty I started getting hunger pangs again so I waltzed over to the Arcadia again and who should I walk into but Kelly! He was sitting all by himself in one of the booths. He’d just got back from his furlough. We ate and talked until five thirty and then I talked him into going to the show with me. We saw “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” That was the picture I thought we had missed but it just hadn’t come to town yet. Had about fourteen thousand stars in it. Only trouble was every time they’d get something good on they’d bring in Eddie Cantor again. I don’t care much about him. I liked the rest of it tho. After the show we went down and had a hamburger and then came back to camp.
Got a bunch more back-mail yesterday. Got your Friday letter and an old one with the two pictures in it. The ones of the two Hula gals, sure is the nuts. Got one from Mildred C, one from Mom, one from Hilah, and one from Mae. Today, I got your Sunday letter and one from Sis.
Sure is a shame that Hinds has to stir up such a stink over a name for the baby. Looks like it ought to be Jack + Hilah’s problem. Sounds silly for Mrs. Hinds to say she won’t call it by that name. They sure have a time. Maybe we ought to be glad we haven’t got some, huh?
Here I’ve been writing away on one side of the paper when I coulda been using two sides. Force of habit.
Kelly didn’t get any punishment for being late. He was called before the Captain and asked whether he wanted court-martial or company punishment. He said he’d take the latter if he thought he had it coming to him. The Capt. wanted to know what he meant by that and he told him about the time he’d tore up the 3 day pass in his face at Norfolk for no reason at all. The Capt. thought it over awhile and finally told him in that case he’d forget about it. Hoffman didn’t get any either but he was only a day late. Capt. said since he had so far to go he’d let him go. Christ, if I’d taken two hours over I’d been over on the rock pile. The rest of the guys all got extra duty after hours and no weekend passes. It sure is extra duty too; cleaning up all the stoves that were used at Amchitka.
Well, kid, guess I’ll quit for now. Sure love you and miss you
Snook
Letters From Snook 