7:45 p.m.

Well, that was a calm, cool indifferent sort of letter, wasn’t it? Listen, mon ami, and you will understand why I wrote it. First, for nearly a long dreary week I’ve been mentally gone – now it’s turned into physical ailments. First among these is my back. I’ve been taking some pretty hard exercise lately in swimming and I’ve enjoyed it. Of course, not eating as I should has been a drawback on strength. Don’t begin that I should eat, I won’t. It will have to be choked down me, but possibly the worstpain is because a lady wanted to try a new stunt – to pull me onto the side of the pool. Instead of 3 counts I understood 2 – and pulled myself up when she went down and hit my back. I did that twice and I bruised my back. My chest feels absolutely numb, today, too. I burnt one finger this morning. I have a cold + a terribly sore throat. Now, perhaps you can understand why I wrote like I did. Excuse me, Fred, I’m not indifferent at all. You know it. Perhaps you will realize how I felt when I found that you wouldn’t like to come home a week sooner. I assure you, Gras Garçon, I was thinking of you – entirely – as for me + my worries. They were just pretty big when I wrote and they’re not so important.

You would have been such a big comfort to me during the past week when things weren’t worth 2 cents worth of dog meat without the bone – and not even a letter! ‘Atta boy, little one, that’t the way to lose friends.

Listen! Fred, can’t you return what I’ve given? At Rice during exams, you remember I wrote – wrote – when you ran that nail in your foot – during track season- and while you were laid up this summer. I wrote every day, as sure as light would come. And not that I’ve been in a whole, why, you evidently didn’t care enough to write. Ma gras garçon, you don’t blame me for being cool – utterly hard. Then today to find you didn’t care to come home. My dear, I’m disappointed! Terribly so. As long as you feel that way, stay! After all what is there in Houston except school? I rather doubt that you’re coming back to me. Oh! of course, you’re busy there, you’re making money, if you could be doing both here in H. and have me too, why O.K. otherwise.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Might I ask forgiveness for all that?

I’m going to quit before you boil over utterly –

There’s no use in being angry. Fred, and if you write me back a hot letter, I won’t answer it at all – ever –

Please don’t pile any more on me. I’ve stood too much already – and I’m reaching the breaking point. Please be patient with me.

Please – only 2 weeks + 4 days.

Lovingly,

Florence