Dearest Margie: August 29 - 5 O'Clock

My Dearest Margie,

I hope my letter of this morning convinced you of my feelings and assured you that no matter what people say you will be the dearest thing to me I have. Darling, I was so worried when I got your letter that I almost hopped on a plane and flew out to you. Letters can't convey to you in strong enough words what you mean to me.

I received your letter at ten minutes to 9 and my panel was at 9. Well I was so scared that I wrote the letter up in front of the class while Don was giving his speech. I couldn't get it off soon enough and that explains why it was so sloppy, but I hope it carried to you what I feel and always will feel.

Margie dear, you're too fine to ever be a second fiddle to anyone and if people are saying I hung my pin on the rebound they had better watch out for me when I get back. Barb nor any other girl can hold a candle to you and I know you must believe me when I say you are the first and only girl I have really loved. I'm not bragging or rationalizing when I say she loved me. She did everything in her power to make me give her my pin those last two weeks. Even in her letters she was always hinting and I know that she felt that way until I wrote her that Sunday. Darling, if they say she threw me over you can say they're all wet. You were the one I loved when I left and you're going to be the one when I return for ever after. Just tell them to ask my close friend who I liked even before school ended and they will find out Barb was "second fiddle" even thought circumstances kept me from going out with the "one and only" until my last week. Guess who?

Your first letter after you got home was great and one again thank your Mother for me for the lovely note. If it's perfectly all right with her that you wear the pin, well naturally I am very happy and proud.

I am sure glad Smitty phones and took you out. He's a true friend and a great guy. I'll bet you both had a swell time although if you talked about that Hastings guy much it must have been awfully boring. It's sure swell to have friends that you can trust to take care of your girl friend and I certainly want her to be taken care of right. Only the best for "little pug."

I realize how you feel about my going out and it makes me very proud to have you look on me that way. Last night at our dance I had no yearning to attend as dancing without you wouldn't be dancing at all. At 10 I went down to the post office and got your letter and one from Traegerman and enjoyed the rest of the evening reading your letter over and over.

Boy but I wish I could have seen F. S. and B.M.O.C. Ellis (God's gift to T.N.E.) when they heard the news. We had an understanding all right but I think I'm the only one who understood it. Traegerman was thrilled no end and wrote me a very nice letter. He knows how I felt about Barb, tell the wolves to ask him. And if they hurt you in anyway or cast any aspersions they had better hide from the tornado from Chicago when he arrives because he won't mince words. As I said in my conscious is clear and I have done nothing with my other dates that I am ashamed of. I have stuck by my ideals. If they could sling mud by telling the truth I would have no right to get mad, but when they tell falsehoods they are liable to get my dander up. I have been like you in a large respect and some of the D.G.s used to get mad when I would take others out, so they might try to tell you I'm not the settling down type, but I will also show them, and you too Pug.

We have always been truthful with each other, so I have a confession to make. I have been sharing some of my time with a too charming campus queen. Not one mind you but two. I didn't think you would mind seeing you are so far away and I had to have someone I could love in the meantime. They're awfully cute and I just love to run my hands over their hair. Yes, they are two little squirrels and, Pug, I wish you could see them. I carry nuts over to them and Foremen told me how to call them. They just come hopping over the lawn and when they get near they sit and wiggle their noses. Then they hop around a couple of times to make sure I won't hurt them and finally come bounding over and eat the nuts in my hand. I get the biggest laugh out of it and I didn't think under the circumstances you would mind my sharing both of our love to them. You see everything I like now and enjoy I feel you would also be enjoying so it's not my love I give out but ours. All mind is yours so although the two pugs over on Campus don't know it, they are really being fed by two of us. And believe me, they are pugs too, maybe we had better include them in our corporation.

I'm having some pictures sent out to you of the training school. One is all of the delegates and the other is the faculty. A little later another one will arrive taken of the Supreme Council. They aren't any too good because my big mouth as usual dominates my face, but at least they will be remembrances of the day when I was one a big shot? in the fraternity.

Next time you see my folks, you might show them the pictures.

Well I must sign off and show the boys the town tonight, but as usual I will always be thinking of you and my good friend the breeze says he will whisper to you how very much I love you and if you want he will really blow in to Los Angeles and let the whole town know it.

All of my love darling,

Big Pug

Dearest Pug: August 29, 1940

Darling,

I just got your special delivery letter and it was wonderful, but darling, I'm sorry if I scared you in anyway. When I quoted Lee Wilson I was just trying to put a little humor into my letter but I see now it wasn't very good. When I said you had me puzzled I was really just kidding like I am always doing. Pug dearest I love you more than anything else in the world and no matter what other people say I will always feel that way. Lee really thinks it is swell and so does every body else.

Darling this being away is going to be awfully tough on both of us as it will just be an incentive to make people talk. I'm sorry to hear Barb has started her campaign so soon, but when people say Bartlett knew we were over first they are just talking through their hats. I read you part of her last letter, but that was only the mild part. I know she loved me and she would have waited for me. But darling she wasn't the one and there never has been or never will be another. Just you.

Really Pug I can't express in words how much I love you and how worried I am that you think there is any doubt in my mind about it. The trouble in writing is that you can't tell exactly whether I'm serious or not so I'll try and be careful what I write. I'll always be truthful to you so maybe that was one reason why I was quoting Lee. But don't worry, anything that guy could say or anybody else just flows off me like water off a duck's back. My love for you is the deepest thing I have ever had and it always will be. I trust you and love you for what you stand for. As a matter of fact after I talked to Nelson I admired you all the more.

In my last letter I told you my whole life and ambition was centered in you. I meant that and I don't think I will really live again until I am with you. But please don't worry about other people talking and shaking that (my love) in any way. There is only one person I believe and that's my pug, but I'm really not worried because all the people I have talked to so far are all for us.

I am worried about what people will say there at home because people can be awfully catty, especially in a circumstance like ours. But no matter what they say about me, I have a clear conscious and the only reason they would say anything is just to have something to talk about. They can't hurt me, but I don't want them saying anything that might hurt you.

I know our love is above 90% of the people on that campus and our friends realize that, and they are the ones that really count. I don't need to repeat how much I trust you, and I only hope you trust me half as much and everything will be fine. One reason reason I love you so much is that I trust your judgement so much (sorta repeating myself you'll have to excuse this writing here in this letter but I'm so jumbled and worried that I can't write it fast enough and get it in the mail to you soon) and I know any think you do is going to be right.

Darling your letter expresses exactly how you feel and I want you to know I feel the same way. I could change the heading to my very dearest Margie and sign it Jim and you would have my ideas of how I feel towards you. One reason we love each other so much is that we are so much alike and share the same high ideals.

I'm glad you're wearing the pin and I want you to wear it always, even after I've bought the ring that I hope I can get soon. I know you can prove to everybody that this is the real thing and I can hardly wait until I get out there and help you prove it. Pug, everything I stand for is embodied in you, and you are going to always be my inspiration, my happiness and my life. You could take me I know only with this realization. Dearest ours is a real love, not one of just admiration and respect, although that plays the major part but there is more to it than that. You are a part of me and our love for each other is untouchable by anything petty and cheap. It goes way down to the core and I will always trust you even thought you're 20,000 miles away.

You are always in my mind because your my guiding star and please don't ever think again that I have any doubt as to who I love and who I want to marry. It will always be you and our love will be the finest and most ideal of any love.

Please take care of yourself and watch the cold. My world is in you now and I want nothing to happen to it. I'll write again tonight.

All my love and adoration,

Jim