Read other letter first

Big Boy Sweetheart,

Did a little birdie ever whisper something in your ear? Yes? Well, let this little birdie whisper something to you. He’s from way down south where the sun is brightly shining and the stars keep watch at night, and he tried to sing my tired eyes to sleep. He’s the little bird which lives out in our plum tree. A beautiful little blue bird, who sings and sings all nite long, trying and trying to sing me to sleep. It’s unusual for a bird to sing all nite but this one does. He is the blue bird of happiness, and because the summer’s here, he is trying to make others happy by his song, but somehow his song saddens me. Why? Would to Heaven I knew!

My dearest boy, the man who said “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” said such a huge mouthful that I’m surprised he didn’t choke so hard, he just up and died! Oh, but give me presence and a little less affectionate heart, I think, altho in this case, the heart would not be less affectionate! I love you more than is good for either of us, and I’m just dying for another of our nites – our old Sat nite dates! I thought I could keep busy and kinda relieve the awful emptiness and loneliness. So far, I’ve failed. Already I’ve begun to plan just what I would say when you come home, and since you’ll be out of training we’ll go to Galveston, and Sylvia to dance, we can have supper in the woods, and maybe some Sunday afternoon, we can go on a long tramp through the woods. We can dance over here, for most of the girls are here, and oh! there’s endless things to do, but not without you! I can’t and won’t take my fun with another boy! Mother nearly grasped me by the hair and dragged me around the house when I told her that, when she was planning something, and I flatly refused to go with anyone. She wanted to commit murder. But I can’t play false to another boy and I just can’t be civil to come of them, and I always think of you and compare them to you, and it just don’t work!

But perhaps I had better forget the fun, because if you go to Paris, it will be months before you return. Big Boy Fred, can I —

I know you’ll write as often as you can, but oh! man, I think if I ever get you back alive and whole, heart and fancy-free, I think I’ll tie myself to your suspenders, so that you can stretch away but you can’t loose me.

Anyway, I don’t want to be a draw back to you, so I had better hush.

The message that the little bird carries is a kiss, and the three little words, and since I don’t guess I’ll write again, unless you don’t go across, why the little bird will tell you that I’ll be waiting – waiting for you to come back.

As ever,

Florence

If you don’t go across, you might find a letter waiting at Kansas City.

F.M.P.