Wednesday
Dear Pat,
This is the first time I've had a chance to put my pen to paper and give you what few gory details there are about a week with the Gerhart menage. I can't give you a blow-by-blow account, but I spent several nice evenings putting boys to bed and talking nonsense with the others. One evening Phil came to the house, and we stayed and talked, then went for a drive, then to Gerhart's, where he and Dot talked incessantly about dogs and I tried on the new red velvet Ciel Chapman evening dress, and Mase and Cole kept whistling "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," but it didn't work. Dottie says to Cole, "What are you going to make us, Coleby?" (Apparantly [sic] he'd cooked something a few nights ago) Then intelligent I says, "Oh, are you going to make us, Cole?" Dead silence. Then typical Cole answer "One at a time (cackle, cackle!)" Then Mase got sick and went to bed, and we left soon after. One evening earlier Cole, Dot and I were sitting about you[r] dining-room table, and Dottie began again on the "this is not a job I want, I hand it all over to you," business that she hasn't done for a long time. I think she would love to have me take a summer job as boy-and-dog-sitter while she takes a job elsewhere. She's lamenting the fact that she won't be able to take one. What a fathead she is! But such a nice fathead. Also, she says cheerfully the boys are as much mine as hers.
And then we all sat around eating hoagies, and Dot gave me 2 ephedrine tablets to clear my sinuses - oh, yes, and before that Mase and I took the boys to the house to watch Alice In Wonderland on television. After that we saw part of Arthur Godfrey - and did the boys remember Alice's "How doth the little crocodile improve its shining tail?" Ah no. They sang all the way home "Hot dang! You all! I swear!", which the hillbilly band kept saying on Godfrey's show. Now to get back to the ephedrine - and I got very lightheaded. Then mother called, saying I'd left my car keys at the house, so I had to be driven to the house, pick up the keys, come back, and drive home. Complicated, ain't? Also rather disjointed, I know, but I'm listening with half an ear to our discussion in English class.
Mase brought the boys over on Easter Sunday afternoon, and Toby and Joe told me all the things the Easter bunny brought them and where he had hidden them. And I, Jane (E.B.) Thornton, listened with wide-eyed amazement. They're such sweet monsters. I can't wait to see them again.
The minute I got back to school I met Bill Hollander, my nice German boy, in Riker's and we sat and talked for ages. He's invited me to come to his apartment and listen to his new fancy foreign radio. Etchings, anyone?
June Knight asked me to help Irene on lights for "6 Characters," so I worked till 1:30 last night up in yonder light loft. Ye gods, it's weird! I wish you could see it. Dolph has the lead, Andy's part is every bit as big, and he's darn good. He's a ham, but fun anyway.
Write, doll, and tell me all!
Love,
Jane