Jacksonville Florida.

My Dear Sweetheart,

Gee! but I would like to be with you now. The recollections of the two months at Uvalde are so vivid and of such importance and pleasure, that I feel I would give most anything to spend this evening with you. I always wish for you, Dear, but there is a special reason tonight. The week’s work is over and I naturally want to talk with you, but I wonder if there is anything that we have not discussed that should be talked over.

We met Dr. Arius at the park a few minutes ago and congratulated him on being elected State Health Officer by the Board of Health. He was not permanently given the place, but will no doubt get it as the Board are placing him in charge. When he had talked about this, he told of the family and his nine years of married life. Said they had never had a fuss and that both of them were determined that they were not going to have one.

July 18, 1925 (Walter)

This interested me and I asked how he accounted for it, just as though it was very unusual, and I do believe that it seldom happens that way. He said that it was due to a complete understanding before they married and of keeping such an understanding of one another. He says that if there is anything that a couple will not discuss nor understand of one another, that sooner or later things happen to cause friction. He was not married until he was in the thirties and when he found the girl to be his wife he couldn’t understand why she had not married before then. The feeling and general trend seemed to be so much like that of my own case, Dear, that I couldn’t help but tell you about it. From what he told me I can’t help but feel that my circumstances are very similar to what his had been. I can’t see any reason why we should not be equally as happy and congenial, and you don’t know how much I wish for the time to come so that I can have you with me always. I don’t know of anything on which we have not had an understanding and if you are happy I know that I’ll be happier.

There is only one thing that I know of which we have not discussed fully, but I believe that each of us understand. I wish that my income was sufficient so that I could support you in more style, but I believe that I can give you comforts and conveniences which will make favorable conditions for happiness, and I believe that you know about them and about what to expect of me. I haven’t heard anything lately regarding a promotion, but I am in hopes that my salary was increased on July 1st. Bishopp intimated it, but did not tell me for sure. I had not asked for it, and with him I don’t believe that asking was necessary at the present time. I rather expect that it will be effective for $2600 or possibly $2700*. It is a most peculiar thing that I mentioned my salary to you when I had known you only a short time, and that we exchanged experiences we had had with others. I have often thought of it and why we did this. It seemed as though we understood each other very early in our acquaintance and, Dear, I have loved you ever since then. There was a slight tremble in your voice when you told me, and I wanted to hug you so much and tell you that I loved you. That was the time you would not even let me hold your hand for a second when I told you goodnight. It was sweet of you, but it didn’t seem just right to me then. But you were right, and you don’t know how glad I am that everything came out all right. We are going to be happy and I am not going to have a fuss with you. I’ll call you “Mama” when we seem to be approaching such a point. We will be frank and open about everything and if there is anything you want to know which I have not told you I want you to feel free to ask me. If it hurts I’ll tell you just the same. I believe I have told you most everything, or at least everything I could think of and I had no mental reservation of any kind.

Our clinic closes Monday night, and we expect to be here until the latter part of the week. Then we will no doubt go down to the beach for the rest of the time while Dr. White is here. I want to make good use of him, for it is like having a University along to have him with me. I hope that it will be possible to get him down here in the future for a short while each year. He has been an old bachelor so long that he has set ways of doing things, but these ways are good ones at that. I hope that I will not be so much that way that it will annoy you, for I want to make you happy and if I can do this I’ll be a mighty happy human.

Remember that I love you, Honey, and that you mean everything to me. I want you and I am going to try and make you happy.

With all my love,
Your,
Walter.

* Equal to $33,000-$34,000 in 2011.