Undated [on board the Empress of Australia, sailed from NYC to Liverpool, September 20, Wednesday-October 2, Monday, 1944]

Dearest Honey,

Time goes by easily at sea. Nothing much to write about as far as what we do is concerned. I like the sea a lot, what I’ve seen of it; and I’ve had time to do a lot of reading and thinking since we got on board.

Finished “Western Star.” It was very good, but I didn’t feel it was in a class with “John Brown’s Body” at all. It was originally intended to be 5 or 6 books long, they say, and this is all that was completed. Consequently the story doesn’t live up to the prologue, or go with it very well. The prologue deals with the westward movement on the continent; the story, with Jamestown and Plymouth only. With just these two to worry about, there is still so much history to cover that it has to be done hurriedly and incompletely. And the story isn’t as well tied together as “John Brown.” Too many subjects to tie together in one complete theme without leaving loose ends. Like biting off too much for one mouthful. Also a lot of the outline, method and even similes were the same ones used in “John Brown,” so they didn’t have the effect they did the first time. Benet’s poems are really good, tho, and both books let you “live” history.

Now I am reading a book about the Philippine insurrection after the Spanish-American War in 1898. You wouldn’t like it a bit, but it does have some military history that means a little to me. The army was the army, even in those days.

How are you today, Bunny? Happy? I hope so. I wonder if you are going to K.T.C. now, and if it is like it used to be. I love you very much, honey, and enclose a hundred or so kisses. I would swim back for one hug right now, if they’d let me. Gee, I miss you.

Always all yours,
Wallace