Death Be Not Proud (14 page)

PART TWO

“Recontent with the universe,

discontent with the world.”

A Few More of His Letters

The first letter I have in Johnny’s own hand was written when
he was about seven:

D
EAR
P
APA

how is your new book getting on, I hope it is getting on all right.

With love and kisses

from

J
OHNNY
G.

These are excerpts from letters we received while we were away in the Far East in 1937-38:

D
EAR
M
UTTI AND
P
APA

I hope you are fine. And so am 1. 1 miss you very, very much. I hung your picture in the bedroom so I can say “Good morning” and “Good night” to you. I made a puppet all by myself it is going to be a woman Detta is making a dress for her.

We read in the newspaper that a new star was discovered. It is nearly as big as the Solar System.

In school I saw a movie. It was called “If we were on the moon” It showed that there were many vulcanos on the moon. One was eighty-five miles wide, that one is one of the biggest. It showed that you couldn’t hear each other on the moon. It showed that if you weight one hundred and twenty-five pounds on the earth, you would weigh twenty-five pounds on the moon.

Our grade went to a Science laboratory. A man showed us lots of experiments. One of the experiments showed us that electricity would rather go through two feet without oxygen than a few inches with oxygen.

This weekend I went to the Van Alens. They had a big Pirate party. Seventeen boys were invited. A nice magician showed us some very tricky trickes. I also went riding on a pony named “Sassy Susie” I had a wonderful weekend I hardly can wait to hug you

He went to camp in the summer of 1939:

Lake Placid, N.Y.

D
EAR
M
UTTI AND
P
APA

How do the basoon double Bass and flute solo records sound.

Ray the science cousler, I and some other children (about 5 I think) banded a Northern Horned lark which is quite rare. He was a baby, the next day we banded 3 baby chipping sparrows.

I am starting to build a modle of the “Soveriegn of the Seas”

I’m fine. Ray caught a porcupine he is keeping him in a big cage there are 50 frogs in the house and at least 11 of them is hopping around lose on the floor. I caught 1 of them, there are four Garter snakes in the house.

I am making a banboo flute. Please send me the violin I have, with strings or no strings. Don’t forget the bow. Ray left. I played a littel tennis

Thanks alot for sending’ the violin
I
am learning how to play it. the orchestra played its first consert
I
swam
380
feet on the side strok

I am having fine time. Thanks a lot for sending the chines things, the camera came in a great big box, there was more wood shavings than camera in it.

I started weaving soming.
I
moved into a tent on monday one of the workmen caught a woodchuck. he was put in a cage, he escaped today.

Frances had a critically serious illness; I was in Europe covering the outbreak of the war and came home:

D
EAR
M
UTTI

school has been fun. Papa is going to arive on the S.S. amsterdam Friday at
8:00
P.M.
Miss chambers is taking Edgar and me to the dock, our teacher is miss Eakright lukaly our project this term is going to be the Geological and sociological formations of USA
I
am fine, when can you leave the hospital

love

   
kisses

      
and

          
hugs

J
OHNNY

D
EAR
M
UTTI

How are you. I am fine. I am lisening to some good music on the radio by betoven. Yesterday I went to the museum of natural history, and so the hall of gems I so the amsterdam arrive. I hope you will soon be out of the hospitle

love and kisses

J
OHNNY

He wrote me often while I was in Latin America in the winter of 1940-41 :

D
EAR
P
APA

I miss you very much. Thanks alot for your postcards and letters I like them alot. Are you still in Panama? I wonder how the lockes work? A week or so a go I heard Hifez he played a modern peice called “the hoxapocha” which is quite unusual I stayed up till about
12
that night I’m having lots fun I hope that you are

love and kisses

J
OHNNY

D
EAR
P
APA

We went to Croton for thangsgiving I played a trio with Whit and peter. Sat. we went to Long Island to visit the Aliens Mutti nearly bought a house with ocean to go with it.

love

J
OHNNY

Frances had a trip to Florida:

D
EAR
M
UTTI

I’m beginning to finish or rather finishing the begining of that rondo I started compose. I wrote the first theme and a modulation.

When are you coming back? I would like the aligator alot but, I would like to give you the pleasure of letting it accompany you on the trip here.

love

J
OHNNY

Then Frances and Johnny spent the summer in California:

D
EAR
P
APA

I am making a model of a Messershmite 109. What part of your book are you on now.

I’m learning the second position on my violin. I got a bicycle and I am learning how to ride.

I fixed a contraption where you pull a string in the pantry and a bell rings in my room upstairs.

love

J
OHNNY

D
EAR
P
APA

Aunt Hester drove us to Yosemite National Park. We saw manny water falls Redwood trees and other interesting things. Uncle Bernie had an appendix operation monday. On Wednesday he eat roast beef and potatoes.

love

J
OHNNY

D
EAR
P
APA

thanks alot for your letters. I’m getting $.25 a week for polishing mutti shoes

I’m going to the griffith observatory today. They have some rocks with a bulb under each rock, if you think a rock is feldspar you press a button marked feldspar and a bulb lights up under one of the rocks.

Love

J
OHNNY

P.S. please send me my chemistry books

This was the first letter we had from him after he entered Riverdale in 1941 :

D
EAR
M
UTTI AND
P
APA

Since I saw you yesterday, I think it’s very silly to have to write you today but since I do I don’t no what to write about. I could be doing arithmetic or writing the twopage composition I have to get done by tomorrow.

What about the new apartment?

love

J
OHNNY

Here are other bits of letters from Riverdale:

D
EAR
M
OTHER:

I got my copy of “Inside Latin America” and I’am reading it. I just finished the chapter “Hail Columbia” or something like that. I had breakfast with Mr. Hackett again. This afternoon we might go to the radio or we might not. I’ll call you up next tuesday, maybe.

Yesterday I paid 50c to see a movie I had seen before (I had to go) and then went to “dots” a drug store and didn’t get anything. I’m planning an electric motor me and Chris Eaton are going to make.

Last Wednesday we went to play another socker game with another school this time we went to their field. I’m going to church in a few minutes How are both books getting on

love

J
OHNNY

This came to me in the summer of 1942:

Madison, Friday July 24

D
EAR
P
APA

Thanks alot for sending the violin A string. I am haaving a marvelous time out here and I hope you can join us before
going to California Thanks for calling up.

I am taking both chemistry and tennis lessons I identified 6 metals or alloys and am making models of atoms.

Where was your broadcast thursday 7:45? Hope to see you soon,

love

J
OHNNY

By early 1943 he was writing this way:

Riverdale country School

D
EAR
M
UTTI
,

I am sorry I didn’t come home this weekend but apparently I didn’t make the proper arrangements. I will be sure to come next weekend. Shall I reserve Sunday as usual? If I do come over I hope we will finally get that boat.

This weekend I am doing a lot of work on the paper. I have typed two of the stencils myself and Cyril is working on another one. Maybe we can get somebody else to do the others. Don’t worry, I am being more careful in typing on those stencils than I am on or your letter. Besides most of the stencil typing is done the other typewriter; this won has its eccentricities. (I hope you don’t get jealous!)

Sincerely yours,

J
OHNNY

And:

(14 Feb 1943

“Touch” typing—

darling mutti I adore you

These are from letters to me when I was covering the war:

Aug. 17, 1943

D
EAR
P
APA
.

Happy Birthday! I hope this letter reaches you about August 29, but V-mail may not be as fast from the U.S. as to it. We will send you a cable then anyway, and have a present ready for you when you come back.

The sailboat leaks a bit; the mast has a tendency to bend in a good breeze and the centerboard gets tcusk, but we have a lot of fun in her anyway. Freddy nick-named the boat “Sinky.”

Jerky U Rattler, the 1931 Pontiac, still goes, and Mutti actually went 30 miles per hour in her. My bicycle is in working order and Mutti’s is being repaired.

As Mutti wrote you, Chandralehka and Nyantara Pandit were here. Now they are in New York where they are being besieged by missionaries and other people. When they were up here they had to write hundreds of letters which kept them rather occupied.

In the begining of the sumer we decided that I should go fishing every Friday and catch some fish for dinner. After a a few times I found that I didn’t like it because I kept thinking about how I would feel if I were the fish. Mutti thought that I ought to fish anyway and not think about how the fish feels. But when I took her fishing and she tried to dehook the fish, she immediately changed her views on the subject. Now we buy our fish.

We haven’t been able to get you on the radio yet but we have seen quite a few articles of yours in the papers. Tonight, how-ever, we will try to get you on the air again.

love and kisses

J
OHNNY

These are from Deerfield in 1943 :

D
EAR
M
UTTI AND
P
APA
,

Thanks a lot for those letters and the pen that you sent me. I am having a fine time here doing lots of interesting things— including picking potatoes, I’ve picked 25 bushels so far. The first Sat. night a magician, Betrand Adams, came here and showed us some fine tricks, but I knew how some of them were done.

Besides the four other subjects I am taking Geology which is very interesting. I found out that I had forgottne most of my latin but I am picking it up again quickly.

All the masters and most of the boys are very nice, especially Mr. Sulivan. He said that he doesn’t believe in punishment, which is always helpful.

Dearest love and kisses

J
OHNNY

P.S. Thanks for calling.

D
EAR
M
UTTI

The pears came; and boy do they look good! I can’t wait till they get ripe. I have never seen so big pears in my life, and of the 800 known varieties of pears, these are supposed to be the best. Thanks a lot.

Thank you for the clippings you keep sending me—keep it up because every boy has to keep a buletin board filled with clippings, pictures, articles and other things for a week once or twice a term in English History, and the clippings you send me are not only useful for that, but are very interesting for myself.

On Thanks-giving we saw a movie called “Holy Matrimony” which was very funny. I hope you have time to see it. A Mrs. Earl came to see her son and she told me that she knew me and you and Pa in Vienna. She sends her best regards to you and Papa.