Letter # 494 October 11, 1944

New Guinea
Wed. eve.
Oct. 11, 44
Hello Sweetheart;
How's my beautiful tonight?  Ornery I hope. If you're ornery, nice ornery I mean.  I know you're all right.  You're cute when you're nice ornery.  Like you that way.  Better stay that way too 'cause when I come home - well, the first person that interrupts is doing so at their own risk.  I'll cut the telephone wires on the way in and barricade the drive.  Gonna have you all by yourself for a while and get reacquainted with you fast.  I love you, darling.
I'm afraid this will turn out to be rather short again tonight.  I had good intentions and was already to start in when I had callers.  Brownie and Leckner.  We sat and shot the breeze for over two hours.  I'm not like you.  I won't stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning to write a letter.  Lazy ain't I?  Anyhow you will fare as good as Leckner's wife.  He had her letter all written and came up to verify the spelling of a word.  Imagine me telling anyone how to spell.  One of my worst subjects.
Well he got into the bull session and when he went back to his tent the candle had burned up and burned his letter to boot.  Kinda made him mad so he's going to write a note and tell her his letter burned up and he'll write another tomorrow.  I won't do that bad but it will be short.  Hope you don't cuss me too much.  I know you won't 'cause you're a very sweet girl.
Wednesday and half day off.  It rained on and off all afternoon so I had a good chance to get in a little more sewing and also work a couple of hours on one of your surprises.  They're coming along, sweetheart.  If you can hold your water a while longer, I'll get them on their way.  There.  I'm teasing a little again but I haven't done so bad.  Bet I haven't mentioned them for a week or more.  Don't you wish you knew what they are?
Can you guess?  I don't think you can even come close, especially to one of them.  Idea all my own.  I think you'll like them too.  Am I getting back at you for all your teasing?   If I'm not I will when I come home.  I'll tease you all the time, be a different kind of teasing but still teasing.  Will you get mad and say, "get it over with." or will you play nice and say, "Lets."  You better be nice.
I got a letter today.  They mixed them up for the first time in a long time.  This was the 29th.  The 28th is missing for the time being.  This mail business is funny. You say you got a letter from Jim and he was writing me at the same time.  I haven't yet gotten it if he did.  I suspicioned he was on the move and had even guessed where he was headed for.  I don't know exactly any more than you do.  His letters sure do seem to get there pretty fast.  Seven days is darn good.  He must personally put them on the plane himself.
There surely are a lot of fellows down here now that I know and more coming all the time.  Never yet one of them, but that isn't so queer. It's like looking for someone on Coney island on a record day in the summer.  Busy place.
That Rittman football game sounds like the real thing.  The kind I like.You must have forgotten about the touch back.  Remember the Wadsworth game two years ago in the snow? Our first score was a touch back there too.  It's a touch back when the opposing team is downed with the ball behind our goal line.  It can't be a touchdown 'cause we don't have the ball but the rules give us two points for it.  You were probably so cold that night two years ago the explanation didn't stick.  Remember now?  I see I still have a little teaching to do myself when I get home.  I'm glad 'cause I don't want it to be all one sided.  You'll have plenty to teach me, that I know.  Will you be my teacher, honey?  I want you to be, so bad. I love you, you know.
There are lots of things I won't need too much teaching to catch on to again.  Only some review and practice.  Of course you say you have some new steps all figured out and those may take a bit of teaching.  I'll promise to be a very attentive and apt pupil.  Do you want the job now?  The only string attached is that I expect to be teacher's pet and don't want her teaching any special stuff to anyone but me. I'll be jealous if you do.
I'm going to stop now, honey and go to bed.  Maybe I can dream up some tricks to play on "teacher".  Night, honey, I'm loving you so much.
Your hubby.
Norm.