Authors

Mary Metcalfe

Document Type

Personal Letter

Transcription

[Transcription begins]

January 6, 1944

Dearest Mommie,

By the time you receive this letter, I shall have left. In my last two letters, I tried to give you an idea of what was up, but apparently you did not “get it” from your letter saying you had told Davie to reserve two rooms in Washington. I hope your trip back + forth was not too hectic + that you and Davie had a nice Xmas night together. It must have been a dull Xmas day for you with none of us there. It would have been such fun if only I could have been there to spend the day with you.

Yesterday I had a grand surprise for me in the mail. It was a check from Peck & Peck for $30 as a Xmas gift, + a nice letter from Mr. Peck saying he hoped that before another year rolled around I would be back in the “family circle.” It is certainly coming in handy.

I went to the Music Hall + saw “Madame Curie,” which is wonderful, + the lively Xmas pageant.

(Tantie’s box of candy must have strayed off some place, for it has never reached me.) I hope that the box you mentioned reaches me before I leave.

I am enclosing the forms I made out giving you power of attorney, also my salary allotment. As you see I am having $73.00 sent to me + $75 sent home. The first two checks you receive will be for $28.70 since there is $8.80 deducted for tax. Beginning Jan. 1st you receive $18.70 semi-monthly since beginning at that time I am having $10 a check deducted for war bonds. I believe that when we arrive at our destination, the $8.80 is no longer deducted for tax, so the checks from then on should be for $27.50 semi-monthly.

When we were attending to all this business in Washington, they (something missing here in letter) not get in touch with Davie. Naturally from the time we were told of this assignment we were told to keep our eyes + ears open + our mouths shut.

I am in a room with six other girls all of whom I did not know before. They are Sissy Graham (Cecilia), Harriet Lloyd, Alva Emery, Kay Harris, + Eleanor de Ormand. They are all very nice. I landed in a double bed with the first girl. I don’t enjoy this too much but she is a quiet sleeper + the bed is big + comfortable so it is not so bad.

Almost all of my old friends are here including Nancy Basconn + Frances R. The latter I have only seen to say hello to which doesn’t upset me at all. Most of the girls have your same feeling as far as this gal is concerned.

I must stop now + take a bath. It is a great big bath tub which seems positively luxurious after all the showers of the past couple of months. Tonight I had dinner with Phil Boyes + Pat Blaisdell who as you know are both class 91.

You probably have heard that Madeline Carroll is in the class of 98. I believe it is, which started recently. Someone said that Frances Rayburn had her picture taken with her for the news reel. I think Frances happened to be on the information desk when they wanted to take the picture.

I really must take a bath + write a couple of thank you letters to P & P now. Also one to Mrs. Morgan. When I returned to Wash. there was a letter from her saying she had tried to reach me by phone several times + couldn’t so she was trying to contact me by letter to see if I couldn’t come have dinner with them. She must have called while I was on assignment in N. Y. Of course I was unable to call her in Washington.

Write + tell me all about how Xmas turned out + I shall let you know how I spent mine. By the time I write again I hope to have plenty of news for you.

Lots + lots of love to everyone, + especially to you.

Chichi

P.S. How did little Davie react to this Xmas? It must have been exciting since he is old enough now to know about Santa Claus.

[Transcription ends]

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