Letter 19, September 26, 1941

First Letter Typed on new Typewriter

Dear Mother and Dad,

Got up today, studied my course, ate dinner, wrote Vandy a letter, took a nap, and as soon as I finish this letter I am going to resume my studies. Not much happens around here. I am pretty well acquainted with the boys here in the house now, and consequently they are nice fellows. Two of them--twins--are from Idaho, two are from Wisconsin, one is from Northern California, and, well, they are the ones I do most of my paling around with. One of the twins is in my room now listening to Nelson's radio.

He is quite an intelligent, sophisticated fellow. He seems to have a general understanding about everything. What I don't know about this being on my own, he teaches me. He is the is one I told you about that has been called to the army but due to his lungs and nostrils he has a slight breathing difficulty, so they aren't going to accept him. At least he doesn't think they will. He will know definitely in about ten days. His trouble developed from pneumonia. He was even operated on for it and they had to remove a section of one of his lungs. From now on I will refer to him as Bill. His twin brother's name is Mark. They are not identical twins in appearance but mentally they seem to be, except Mark is more backward than Bill.

The fellows from Wisconsin are happy-go-lucky good time Charlie's. They would give you the shirts off their backs. I will refer to them as Harold and Chris. The fellow from California is friendly, and good natured, and big. I will refer to him as Big Bill. They are all working in the defence industry.

Hey mother, where are my letters? Louis has written two since I last heard from you. Are you busy with the fruit or are you putting any up this year? Vandy tells me she just finished peeling, what it seems like to her, a million pears. Some weekend when you have nothing to do, you ought to phone her and ask her to go someplace. I am sure she would go. I wrote and told her you were going to call on her some weekend and she said she wished you would.

I am very much in favor of accepting your more solid advise Louis. I have got a motto from it that is very sound I think. I am going to play the field and never get involved. You speak of alliances with the wrong people as being millstones around your neck: I know now where I could make a mistake by tying in with at least one person I know--and that is Bridwell. He is interested in advertising and wants me to get you to help him. And, maybe someday he thinks maybe he could get you to give him a job. I told him he didn't need to try because you probably know as well as I do that he is about the same type as Paul. I don't think it would hurt to help him, if he takes advertising seriously but I don't think he ever will. I had several arguments with him while he was here but didn't want to have anything to do with. We got along very well while he was here but just watching him and listening to him convinced me of one thing, and that is he is not the type of person I would like to be around. I am quite sure he didn't go home because of me, because I always treated him friendly. He is just a person who's character is weak in almost every respect and that think alone turned me against him, although i never told him so. Maybe I am wrong to feel this way but I can't help it. It is natural for me to feel this way as well.

I might be wrong to talk this way to anyone--even my parents--but I think he believes I like him enough to go into business with him someday. He talks about it and I just listen and tell him nothing. He takes everything for granted. Maybe I am wrong in telling you not to give him a job, but I don't think he will work and If he does start working for you, due to our friendship I think he will expect to work with and share with me for life, when I come into the agency. That would be a millstone around my neck because in the first place we don't think in any respect alike. I hope you will understand what I mean, and excuse me for talking like this.

There is not much news and this is something I have wanted to tell you ever since Bridwell went home. I am not asking you to keep him out of our agency business to keep him from getting ahead for I am sure if he wants to get ahead he con do it on his own. Damn it, this is hard to say. I hope you don't get the wrong impression. Then again he might lose interest before he gets the general idea from this course and asks you for a job. speaking of no news I had better quite. Keep an eye on the little woman for me, once you break the ice and take her with you on one of your Sunday jaunts. I have got to go to work in about two hours so if I want to study this course I had better get started.

I am sorry to hear that you have a cold Louis. I hope it is better by the time this letter comes. And Mother, I wish I could help you wash those dishes every night. I intend to someday but I have got a lot of things now that I want to accomplish before I come home. I want to invest in myself for a few years and see if I can't make a real man out of myself, and I think this is the only way. Anyway I will see you over the vacations. Either I will come home or you two can come and see me. Love, Tom

P.S. How do you like the type-writer? I am either going to buy this one or another one which I think would be a little easier to type on. This one is to small.

I forgot to mail this letter last night in all of my rambunctious efforts to get to work. Will write tomorrow. Love again, Tom