Oct. 22, 1942

Dearest Hal,

Mother got your V letter today just two weeks since you mailed it and she was very tickled that you had thought to write to her. She will write you a letter before long I expect. We enjoy very much your descriptions of the sights you are seeing over there.

Isn’t it grand that our letters come so quickly now? I’ll been getting yours in about two weeks ever since you came back to civilization. Before that I was lucky to hear once in six weeks. I really got desperate as you could doubtless tell from my letters but this is so much better. I can only think of one thing that would be better and that would be to have you home. I’ve gotten all the nice things you mentioned sending except the package for Sam and the rugs. Of course I don’t mind paying the duty. I just wanted to be sure I was supposed to pay it.

I don’t know about a silk rug. You couldn’t use it except for a wall hanging or something like that. Think we con afford it? I can’t price them as they are not for sale in this locality. Maybe I could write to a big store somewhere.

I am not sure I know what a lambskin coat looks like. Is it what we call Persian lamb over here? I would love to have a pretty fur coat but I can’t buy it out of my allowance. Everything here is high. We have ceiling prices, but things were already high before they put the ceiling prices into effect. I have not been able to save as much as a hundred dollars a month. Five hundred dollars is all I have saved so far and Sam and I are planning a trip to Richmond to see the doctor as soon as it suits Elizabeth to have us. We were going this week but she is busy with the Community Chest Drive so we are putting it off for a week or so. I don’t know what the bill will be but I’m determined to use only my allowance unless some emergency arises. I’m putting as much as I can into the war bonds we are buying and just don’t feel I can afford the coat. A home is something for all three of us and I would rather have something we can all share.

There is something I do want very, very much. I want a string of amber beads. Sometimes they are carved, sometimes not. I really prefer the plain ones. The light ones are the prettiest, though I believe the darker kind is more valuable. I have a brown velvet dress and I think those tawny yellow beads would make such a lovely necklace. Please try to get me one if you can. I also have a passion for jade but of course that is expensive and harder to get so maybe you can’t find any. You will bring me a Buddha won’t you and a hammered brass or silver branch? Maybe it would have cost less to get the cost I really don’t know. Write me what the coats look like and I’ll price them over here.

There has been duty on only one package you sent that was one mailed in the spring.

Write me often, dearest, your letters mean so much to me.

We miss you very, very much,

all my love,

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