Dear Mom, Dad & All:

     I was down to Evelyn's two weeks ago and, as usual had a fine time as I think I've already told you.  We are still hoping to be married June 5th at St. Francis de Sales Church.  Evelyn wrote me last Saturday that she was getting on with her instructions and was now going twice a week to hurry it up a bit.  I guess she likes the priest pretty well.  She said in her letter, (quote), "I am going to twelve o'clock Mass tomorrow with a girl from work.  I've often thought I'd go on a Sunday morning, but I didn't like going on my own."  She wrote again Tuesday and said, (quote) "On Sunday I went to twelve o'clock Mass.  The girl I was going with didn't come down 'til ten-past twelve, so of course I had already gone in.  I'm glad I had, because the priest bawled out the people who came to Church late.  I was very much pleased about her going to Mass on her own, after having been to her instructions only once, and would have gone before if she had had someone to go with her.  It isn't the easiest thing in the world to try to follow the Mass when you know very little about it and I think it is ample evidence of  her sincerity in wanting to become a Catholic.  I gave her that little Missal we bought at Grants shortly before I left home, so she's using that.  I'm certainly proud of her and think I have ample reason to be.  She wrote you another letter last week after we had given up hope of the one you wrote reaching her.  She enclosed a picture of herself, her mother, and me, taken the day after George Huff's wedding.  It would have been pretty good, but the negative was too scratched up.  I hope you will soon receive the enlarged picture of her I sent you two weeks ago.  You can have Frank Walters make us a ring of white gold.  She has pretty large fingers, so I think it will have to be about the same size as yours, and I'm not kidding.  Her engagement ring is size P over here, but that won't mean anything there, I suppose.  The diameter of it is the width of a three cent postage stamp (inside diameter).  She is about Rosemary's height, 5'6 1/2" and weighs 120 pounds.  No sizes over (here) mean anything in the States so you'll have to go on that.  Taxes over here have just gone up again.  Taxes on luxuries (jewelry, etc.) is 100% of valuation, cigarettes about 17 to 20 [cents] a package, making their price 50 [cents] for twenty, beer is 25 [cents] a pint bottle, the cheapest whiskey $5.10 a fifth, etc., so the Americans aren't the only ones paying for the war.  The cigarette tax doesn't affect me as we get our cigarettes from the Army post exchange.  I hope to spend Easter with Evelyn and go to Mass at Westminister Cathedral on Easter morning.  I'm still happy in my work and my billet.  The weather has been very nice and sunshiny and there are millions of flowers in bloom, every color of the rainbow.  The trees are all in bloom too, with red, white, pink, orange, and yellow blossoms.  The pine trees are brilliant green and the holly leaves have all turned yellow.  I'm going to try and get some colored film and get some pictures of them.  George is delighted with all the flowers.  And so I'll say Cheerio for now and hit the hay.

Love, Thatch.

P.S. You can send 8 oz. pkgs. now.