Tuesday Night

My Dear Sweetheart

I am taking the liberty to address you this way, though it sounds mighty good to be true. I hope you won’t take all the joy away by saying that it is too sweet a name for me to call you.

September 2, 1924

I have just written to my mother so she will get it the next day after Sister’s wedding. She is to be married tomorrow evening at 6:30 and I know Mother will miss her the next day. Thought I’d write so she would get it then. The affair is to be at the church and it seems to be well planned. Sister is just as happy as she can be and I am well pleased with her choice. They go to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and I don’t know where else but they will visit his folks before going to Philadelphia, Miss. where they are to make their home. I’d certainly like to be there but it is impossible.

Mr. Bishopp has been here for 5 days and will leave tomorrow A.M. His folks are at the beach where they have been enjoying the surf. We took them to St. Augustine Sunday and they seemed to enjoy it very much.

I know that you are interested in what he thinks of my work. He realizes that it is a most puzzling malady or Dr. Kirby-Smith would have unraveled it during the past fourteen years. He seems well pleased with the progress I have made, even more pleased than I expected him to be. He does not feel certain that I have the cause unraveled, for they haven’t been able to find anything in skin sections I have sent to Washington. He believes my evidence and line of research are good and I have been greatly encouraged by him.

So far he has made only one suggestion and it is one that we attempted but failed. He wants to get guinea pigs and rabbits or mice infected, and we hardly think it possible but are trying further experiments. Our observations have led us to believe that they enter (sebaceous) sweat glands and the fact that the lower animals have none, has led us to discard the idea until he revived it. They may possibly enter the hair follicles but we doubt it. However, the tests will be made with more pigs and rabbits and we will satisfy ourselves on this point. Mr. B thinks the work will require several years and with other problems in this state, I may have a lab down here. I don’t think there will be any difficulty in getting the appropriation but we would like to have it in our own Bureau if possible. As soon as the Senator comes home Dr. KS and I are going to impress upon him that it should be made through our Dept.

I’ll be here the rest of this month on creeping eruption and the next month I’ll make a survey of the southern part of the state on other problems. That will probably take about 10 days. Mr. B had planned that I would be in the Uvalde section this month but the work is pressing here and it does not seem to be so plentiful with Parman just now. It is too dry for many cases here but I need just such a period of good work on the ones we do have.

I hope to hear from you soon, Dear, and here’s hoping I can call you Sweetheart, for I love you and you mean lots and lots to me. I hope you will try to love me a wee bit anyway.

With a sweet goodnight,

Always
Walter