New Guinea
Thursday
Sept. 21, 44.
My sweetheart wife;
No letters today so maybe I'll get a chance to catch up a bit. I sure have a stack of them to answer. Don't be expecting any more two letter days. That's a bit much for me. Lot of writing on two letters. I just wanted to say I had done it at least once anyhow. You seem to be able to do it quite often but you're just that much better than I. I'm not going to try to compete. When it comes to loving I think I can compete favorably. You can't possible love me any more than I love you. That's for sure.
Well, honey, for the first time since I last saw you I spent I spent a day at the old monkey wrench business. Seems pretty strange. Forgot a big part of what I used to know. It's been almost six months and that's a long time to remember such stuff. There are things that I may get a bit out of practice on, but I'll never forget or want to forget. Know what I mean? You can guess I'm sure.
Now I'm going to answer some more letters. I had seen the piece in the Gazette about Dr Wildrom getting hurt but I didn't know he had been sent home. The Gazette gets here regularly but it's pretty old. The latest I've got is Aug 11.
Gus is really doing all right, isn't he? Third class P.O. and only been in a short time. That is the equivalent and carries the same pay as mine. Good for him. I imagine his expenses where he is are a lot more than mine where I am now. So far this month after I paid for my beer and cigarettes, I've spent a shilling [16 cents to you]. Cheap living isn't it?
I rather thought you would reconsider not playing bridge with the girls. I know you'd want to. How would you keep up on the dirt and gossip if you didn't? You know I'm not very good at playing newspaper. I don't remember that I ever made a special effort to stay awake until you came home and I'm making no promise to that effect now. I'm very apt to be a sleepy head after this army training. Anyhow I think you used to come home early before.
You devil you. You no more than quit teasing me about one surprise and you start in on another. This time a four ounce package that you are sending first class mail. You say I'd better like it but don't mention the penalty if I don't. I'm sure I will anyhow. I like anything you send. I like anything that has anything at all to do with you.
I can see that Jean is in a pickle and no mistake. I don't blame her for wanting to be by herself and yet it's a hard thing with the children. I guess it's another of the miseries of war and can't be helped.
Gosh, honey, do I still have a bottle there? Don't remember. The anniversary would be a good time for you to kill it. Did you? I surely couldn't drink a toast of anything stronger than tea or coffee to you on that day. I was way up in the mountains at that time. Some different than four years ago when we were in the mountains. Didn't need anything to drink then to make things rosy, did we?
Speaking of a bottle. If I had that bottle of liqueur here, I bet it would surprise you the price I could easily get for it. Fifteen pounds would be easy. That's $48.00. Think of it. Some of the boys will pay any price for anything alcoholic to drink. There is some bootleg stuff made here by some of the G.I.'s. Called "jungle juice" cause it's made in hidden stills in the jungle. It must be about 150 proof and probably rubbing alcohol or something similar. Anyhow the fools that get drunk on it, really get drunk and boy, do they have a hangover. Remember that raw corn that Gus gave Harry one night and he nearly exploded when he drank it? Well I had a taste of this stuff one night and that corn is soda pop in comparison. I only had one swallow and it took me five minutes of gasping and washing with water before I could get so I could talk. A couple hours later I could still feel a hot spot in my stomach. I'm cured until I get back to civilization. Even such stuff sells for six to ten dollars a quart. Guess I'll turn bootlegger and make me a future.
As far as I can see you are a long ways from loosing your grip, as you put it. I think you're doing a very splendid job. So good, in fact, that I don't see what good I ever was to you in any way except loving. Even there you could find a lot of very good substitutes. Don't ever get the idea that I'm not coming back though. I need you even if you don't really need me. I love you and I'm sticking to you plenty tight under any conditions. Anyhow I'm very proud of the way you are carrying on in a hard situation. So there too. I have never doubted for a long time that you can and will keep things going for us. Think I'll let you keep on after I come home. How about it, honey?
I'm very glad that you like your library job so much. Too bad you couldn't have had it last year and saved yourself a lot of dissatisfaction. You can remember some of the spicy books and pass them on to me, but not when I'm old and infirm, you devil. I'm not going to be that way for a long, long time and you darn well know it. If you don't I'll be plenty ready to prove it and maybe make you say, uncle, even. What do you think of that? Oh, well, honey, I don't care what you say I'm so in love with you I can't even tease you back.
Go to it, honey, if you can pull a deal like getting the weeds mowed that easily. That would be a simple fast way of doing it.
OK, honey, I won't say another word about your leg picture. I was only teasing you anyhow. I like any picture of yours and you know it.
I guess I must have written a "blue" letter or something to get this pep letter you you wrote. I didn't mean to and I usually am holding my morale in good shape and will. I'm only wanting to get back to you so much it hurts. Then, it can be taken more than one way too.
I'm sorry to hear about the "eyesore" across the road. I was hoping they would at least be presentable. Maybe they will be yet. I hope. Anyhow we can shut them off and only see it when we come and go. Leaving our wood in front was a good move I guess.
I've gotten to your letter of Aug 29 where you say you'd as soon I didn't get into the interior. Guess it's kind of too late for that now. I got back before I got your letter and anyhow I don't believe I'd have let your reluctance influence me much. I just had to do it. The old itchy foot you know. The opportunity and really no reason why I shouldn't. I'm very glad I did go and you probably will be too when you hear the whole story. Anyhow the army says you have a right to be proud of me for taking one of the stiffest imaginable physical and guts endurance tests the army has ever put out. I came out with a very excellent rating, in fact one of the few that got the highest rating given. I also had the honor, if you can call it that, of being one of the first Americans ever to cross a few of the trails and in fact, except for a few Aussies, the first white men. Almost an explorer now, aren't I ? Does that make you feel better or worse? It's all past history now anyhow. Your picture was with me.
It was safe to tell me about the intriguing aspects of the native dances, cause, like the other, I had already seen one by the time I got your letter. This one wasn't quite as bad as the picture you paint of it. It was held at one of the Missions and I was only there in the day. At night is when they get wild and unrestrained and this one was plenty so, as I found out from a native police boy the next day. He was still a bit tipsy and so worn out, not from dancing either, that he could hardly stay on his feet. Consequently the tracking class he was to teach was a loss. He couldn't even follow a trail in the mud. A preview of my condition the first week or so after I get home.
The dances are very colorful and similar to Indian war dances. They paint themselves all up and wear feather headdresses and colored grasses and all the leg and arm bands they own. The music is all drums which are made in the shape of an hourglass from one piece of wood, hollowed out in the center, of course, and over one end is stretched snakeskin. They beat therm with their hand and the sound, similar to the sound of a cork being quickly pulled from an empty jug, only louder. Can hear it a long way and yet, when close, it doesn't sound loud. There is a definite simple dance step and movements similar to a square dance only the men and women don't dance together. The women stay on the outside and follow the movements back and forth. The men sing a chant all the time. I took a whole roll of pictures of it.
There were hundreds of natives participating. Quite a sight. Quite a smell too. I've found out though, that it's possible to get used to the odor to the extent that I don't notice it. My smeller never was very good anyhow.
Gosh, honey, I've used my quota for today and only scratched the things I have to say. Didn't answer many letters either. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and you'll get another installment of something. When I can talk to you I can really elaborate on all this so you have more than loving coming. Loving comes first though you can bet on that. During breaks I might be able to talk a bit if I can get my mind on the subject. We'll make out somehow over a period of time.
Night, sweetheart. I'm loving and dreaming of you even if I haven't said so very much.
Your hubby.
Norm.
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