Jacksonville Beach, Fla.,
Sunday PM.

My Dear Sweetheart,

When it rains it pours. I had two letters this morning and I am mighty happy over them too. It seems mighty good to plan our wedding, though Dear, you are too considerate of me. To be sure, it is perfectly all right to have it at the church. All the time I have expected you to suggest that it be there, for I realize that there will be more room and too your friends whom you would not care to invite to your home would not have any reason to feel offended if it were at the church. If it were at your home it would probably mean a reception afterwards. Will this be necessary if we have it at the church? I hope not, but just as you say. It would seem that four or five o’clock in the afternoon would be a good time, and I believe that it would be well to leave shortly afterwards. Do you plan to be married in a traveling suit or would you change clothes before leaving? This is all for you to decide, and whatever you say, suits me.

August 23, 1925

I wish that I knew at this time whether we would come direct to Florida or whether we would live in Dallas before coming. I’d rather come down here and perhaps we could spend a little while in Dallas before coming. If we stay in Dallas for a while perhaps it would be well to have the honeymoon before going there, as we would meet quite a few people while there and I’d rather see them after we have been together more.

After I have been down the state I expect to write Mr. Bishopp and suggest what I would like to do, and I believe he will agree with me. He has promised that I could be in Johns Hopkins for about three months this winter or spring, but if we cannot get an appropriation to work on creeping eruption I don’t feel that I want to put special effort on nematodes. I would rather work on C.E. as much as possible this fiscal year and then start the new fiscal year on a problem for which we can get an appropriation. The work at Hopkins would be good regardless of what I am working on, but it would be more helpful if I went there while I had a problem for which we were getting appropriations. I’d get more out of the course. If I spend the winter and spring on C.E. I’ll get more credit on this work, and believe me I want all I am entitled to.

Mr. Bishopp is taking his work for a PhD now and I am inclined to believe that it will push him along more at this time than if he had taken it several years ago. It seems to be a good idea to get as high as possible then get the doctor’s degree for an additional push. There are a few young men in the Bureau who came to us with a doctors degree and they are getting about the same that I am. I don’t believe they will climb any faster than I will, for they are on problems of less importance and will have to show some results in order to climb.

I am not writing Mr. Bishopp at this time about spending the whole time down here, for after I have been down the state I may find a more desirable place to live where I can work on C.E. and another problem. He is inclined to stay away from the other problems until we have money for them and in that event I think it would be mighty fine for us to live here at Jax Beach until the latter part of the next June and then go down there. By that time, perhaps, I’ll have the C.E. worked up in pretty good shape.

I don’t know whether I am making all of this clear to you, Dear, but I hope you understand. Regardless of whether I come here or go to Dallas, it need not interfere with our plans of the wedding. We are going to have a little home of our own here in Florida, that is a sure thing, and I am anxious for you to be down here with me. I can probably make a pretty definite plan after I have been down the state, and have seen what they will do toward getting an appropriation. Once it is started we can ask for our requirements every year, but we can’t ask for the original appropriation, or at least we are not supposed to do it.

I am getting to where I want to see you awfully bad, Sweetheart, and I want you to know that I love you more than I can tell you.

Always your,
Walter.

Box 61