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Nov 9, 1944

Dear Mom,
This pen and I don’t get along well but I’ll try to write a few lines with it. I’ve been using Rillo’s pen but he’s but he’s on pass tonight and took his pen with him.

I received a lighter this afternoon, it had been covering a lot of the world before it finally got here. I noticed it had Wanda‘s return address in your writing. I found a good lighter pre-war a couple of days ago so gave the one you sent to Orval as he didn’t have one. I didn’t think you folks would mind. Thanks a lot, anyhow, for going to the trouble. “Pops” says he’ll write as soon as he can and thank you too.

Another pen (borrowed) – I imagine the rest of my packages are traveling around, over here, somewhere. I still haven’t gotten the one from Washington though it was mailed first class.

I finally heard from Betty last night but I am afraid she waited too long to write. I am still “properly browned off” as the English say and didn’t like the tone of her letter. She’s mad because I write to Loretta and I figured that if she’s going to let a little thing like that bother her she better find someone else before she really gets upset. Maybe she knows the game but I keep tally.
I also received the first edition of the “Broadcaster” today but I haven’t had time to do anything but glance through it.

I’ll bet the college has changed a lot since you went there. It must have seemed funny to have a daughter graduating from there before long.

Yes, I had a chance to vote, in fact it was pressed upon us several times. I received a ballot from the local though I hadn’t intended to even send for one so figured I might as well use it. I thought you must have registered me or something. Someone was on the ball as I was the only one from Pa, around here, that I know of to get a ballot.

Gosh, Jean G must have settled down some; Richardson was the guy she was going with when I saw her last and that’s been quite a while. All the good looking girls around there are either married, engaged or going steady now, maybe it’s lucky I covered more territory or I’d be left out, tsk tsk…

<this letter unfinished, he mentions it in the next>