Dere Julie:
On land again, thank God! Comin across we skidded several times and
there were occasions when it looked like there wuzn't anything like
dry land in the whole world, yet we finally landed on terra cotta,
vice versi, or whatever Lattin fraze they use for solid ground.
Believe you me, Julie, I luv a life on the ocean wave like a burlecue
soubrette luvs an alarm clock; that is I like it a lot, but not a
heluva lot. Fer four hours at a strech I leand over the side of the
ship; I wuzn't interested in the ocean or the study of fishes, only I
felt I had sumpin I must give up. Finally, after givin up everything,
even standin for some of Skinny's jokes, I managed to recover
sufficient to enjoy two meals before we got to the dock. Believe you
me, derie, you do not know how near you cum to havin to wear black,
and cashin in on my life insurance. Speaking of life insurance,
reminds me of Skinny's prayer when he turned in one night when it was
stormy. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If the ship should sink before I wake, Uncle Sam has made a $10,000
mistake."
And speaking of turning in brings up the subject of hammicks; show
me a guy who can ride one all nite without being turned out, and I'll
back him to ride the best tricky mule that P.T. Bamum ever trained.
About the only way to do, when the nite is ruff, and the ship is
rockin, is to sit down and wait until your hammick comes around, and
jump on it and choke it into insensibility. I made out to do this
better than the balance of the bunch, as I had had more practice,
owing to the fact I used to use this method after a nite with the
boys; when I got to my street I used to sit down on the curb, and wate
fur my house to come round; when it came I used to jump on it and hang
on.
Believe you me Julie, that "A life on the ocean wave" may be all rite
as a song but its no noise fur a guy who was born and brung up in
Longacher square.
Will rite you again as soon as I get my land legs.
Yours until they build another statue to Von Hindenburg.