Dear Mom, Dad and All:

     It's a dreary rainy Saturday, too wet to go out even on a day off, so I've been stuck here in my room most of the day just messing around and doing a bit of reading and letter writing.  Evelyn went home Thursday afternoon, which was fortunate because it's been raining steadily ever since and she would have been pretty bored sitting around the room all the time.  Yesterday was my birthday and I got your card okay on Wednesday.  I also got a pair of light pigskin gloves from the Humphreys, which come in very handy for wear with my dress uniform, and a lovely blue silk dressing robe from Evelyn.  They came as quite a surprise since Eve never mentioned anything about them, but had arranged with her folks to mail them in time so I would get them on Friday.  I was supposed to have gone down to Eve's this week-end as everybody here had both Saturday and Sunday off, but I was working on a rather important rush job and so had to work on Sunday.  We have every Saturday off and once a month have a Sunday off, too.  I may be able to take next Sunday off, instead, if we finish the job.  The eight o'clock news this morning brought the good news that we had invaded Sicily and I sure hope this means that we will soon finish the job on the continent and I'll get to see the good old USA once again.  A couple weeks ago Eve's brother, Les, went to the show in the afternoon and came home with the news that there was a travelog, in color, about Minnesota on.  Eve didn't care about the feature picture and hadn't gone, but when she heard this she grabbed her hat and coat and hurried down to the last performance.  She was delighted to have done so, for she said the travelogue showed pictures of the Indian Mounds, the River, State Capitol, Minnehaha Falls, etc. all in color.  With this bit of good fortune, and the post cards I have, and the newspapers, she has a pretty good idea now of what the town looks like.  I guess she's as anxious to get to see it as I am, but the thought of leaving home for perhaps a very long time is hard to face, too.  But both she and her Mom and Dad are reassured on this point by knowing that she will receive a warm hearted welcome and the same generous hospitality that I have received here from them.  Any misgivings they may have had on that score have been dispelled by your letters and those of the relatives, so when the time comes for us to depart "This Sceptered Realm" I know they will be content in knowing that she will be happy in her new nome across the seas.  I'm sorry you never got the large picture (8 X 10) that I sent to you as it is exceptionally good, but I have one which I'll keep until I can bring it personally.  If we can still get another made I'll send you another anyway.  But I think by now the plate has been destroyed.  Eve wrote to you regular mail last week and sent you a picture of her dad.  She wrote a couple v-mail letters from us as well, so the mail should be pretty good for a few days, although I'm afraid my letters are getting pretty dull of late, since the subject matter for letter writing is limited both by circumstance and censorship.  But poor as they are I suppose they're better than nothing.  Once again it's the end ot the page so Cheerio for now.  Forgive the typing.

Love to all,

Thatch